The Dark Side of the Hog
by Madhog thy Master
Summary: In this collab. you shall find a fine collection of one-shots about different Sonic characters, made by the staff members of the "Dark Side of the Hog" community. Read the introduction inside. The new Sonic couples collab is on.
1. Introduction

**THE DARK SIDE OF THE HOG**

* * *

**Pleasantly understated introduction and usual thanksgiving stuff:**

* * *

What is the "Dark Side"?

In the common language, Dark is a term used to define something evil… Something destined to succumb over the benign force of Light.

In my opinion, though… Dark does not necessary mean such childish concept but rather, something hidden… Something separated from every day's common knowledge and thoughts… Something that slips from blind certainty and predefined ideas…

The Unknown.

A hidden, dark side of our reality that goes beyond our senses… Our perceptions and believes. Something that we've always feared and basically what has always pushed our will to know The Truth about everything…

A task we may never achieve due to the fact that we can't control what we don't know… And, sadly enough, we don't even know ourselves…

That is, in my opinion, the Dark Side… The hidden feelings and emotions, the biggest fears and hopes that lie in our own mind and soul… Ready to be engulfed in the exposing light of Knowledge… Or to never be showed to anybody… Not even ourselves.

It is the unknown part of our inner Chaos, that, along with our known self (or thought to be known) provides to make us whole. An unbalanced balance that could very well reflect this world's own Chaos.

Schopenhauer had some interesting opinions about this… But I'm just digressing, here.

Let's talk about this collab. now, shall we?

We… The members of the "Dark Side of the Hog" community… A bunch of desperate would be writers with a geeky passion over a certain blue super fast videogame mascot and his wacky world… All have something in common (besides our evident delusions)… We all crave good stories with a fairly good element we consider fundamental for any kind of narration, even more of the plot itself… A little underestimated thing called "Character Development"… The exposure and exploit of a character's issues and feelings that make us feel empathic towards him/her in so many different and interesting ways… In other words, the aforementioned "Dark Side".

This collab. is our collective effort to give to everyone who would love to read it, the chance to see what certain characters mean to us, what we see in them that makes us feel so attached to them… Our own ideas of how they should or should not be, emotionally speaking and, therefore, just a personal point of view that could be contrasted by someone else's idea, but that is besides the point…

The point is this:

We love the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise and this is our tribute to its amazing characters… So please, take a seat and enjoy this collection of shorts we worked so hard for… Well, maybe not so hard… But I could be wrong.

See you in this world's Chaos.

**Madhog thy Master 3:16**

* * *

**P.S.** If you're interested in participating in this project, contact me and let me know what character would you like to choose for it.

Ultimately, I would like to thank all the wonderful people (a.k.a. computer freaks) involved in this collab. You'll know them as this project expanses.

We did it, guys… We did it!

Farewell, for now.


	2. Fang the Sniper

**DRAMATIS PERSONAE**

**By**

**Madhog thy Master**

* * *

Acting…

Such a delightful and fascinating art, indeed. The ability no, the possibility to change identity, personality… To re-invent a one's self, to interpret a role… To wear a mask that would hide our true feelings and all for the sake of acting…

Acting, however, is not just an art or vocation… Acting is Life itself.

It is the Truth of Life… Or better, one of the endless truths of our existence, the fact that we always wear a mask… We always play a role in order to survive in this cold world we are forced to live in… To hide our true emotions… Until eventually becoming the very same character we used to interpret, forgetting our real selves, or better, hiding them in some disclosed, dark location inside our mind and soul.

Everyone plays different roles in this huge play we call Life… Some more than one… Some only sometimes… Some don't even realize it.

What about me? I don't know for certain… All I know is that I don't know very much about myself… Because I haven't been very honest with me.

These masks… These personas we all use to wear sometimes or for a lifetime… This façades are part of ourselves along with what we hide (or think to hide) behind them… And so, a question becomes spontaneous:

How can we possibly distinguish what is Real from what is Fake?

In my opinion (which could be wrong), we can't… Because such difference is always an intricate matter of relativity, meaning that what could be real for one, could be false for someone else… In the end, Acting (whether wanted or not) is the way we, as sapient beings, used to relate ourselves with our own vision of Reality… Which could very well be wrong… Since nothing is certain… Not even in fiction.

And sometimes… Playing Life… Becomes Life itself.

* * *

Fang the Sniper was lying on a marble ground, pretending to be asleep… Mentally preparing himself for today's chosen role… Which was going to be an improvisation.

Just the way he loved it.

He played many different roles during the course of his life… He's been a serial killer, a bounty hunter, a relic hunter, a terrorist (but he dropped it after his bombs refused to detonate), a republican, a democrat, an independent, a communist, a Mexican wrestler, a barber gone mad, etc.

As far as he could remember, he's changed face more times than Frank Abagnale Jr… Why he did it, you may ask? Because he felt like… Or maybe because he needed it… Or both… Or neither of the two.

He was a mystery, after all.

Playing his life the way he wanted was his own way to react over the uncertainty of life… Improvising every time… Letting the happening of the moment to inspire his doing… That's what Fang was… Everyone and nobody at the same time… The physical embodiment of this world's Chaos which, ironically, left him without a real personality of his own, or better, with a personality entirely based on his acting…

An acting that would punctually ignore the boundaries of Reality and Fiction… An acting decided by his own instincts… Or maybe not. Who knows? Not me for certain.

There was still some time left before the beginning of the spectacle, therefore he decided to shortly relive some of his career's highlights, just for the fun of it.

He took a moment to concentrate, then the improvisation began.

**The emo:**

He took a knife out of nowhere and started cutting his arm, whining and crying about how miserable his life was.

**The British intellectual:**

Fang drank a genuine cup of tea while blabbering something about how great his people was and how inferior all the others used to be.

**The Italian-American stereotype:**

A pair of mustaches were now visible under the Sniper's pointed nose… He also seemed considerably fatter.

**The average villain:**

Suddenly, he felt the urge to take all the world for some dumb reason.

**The symbolical villain:**

He was going to cause chaos and havoc in order to expose the real sadistic nature of Man and erase his hypocrite concept of a so-called civilized society. His face was also painted in white and red… He looked like a deformed, demonic version of a clown.

And so on.

* * *

Fang gently removed his canvas hat from his pitch black eyes, his namesake tooth shined with the ambient light, and checked his watch…

"It's Showtime!" He said to himself while already entering in today's role…

**The Videogame Villain:**

Suddenly… A certain blue hedgehog came out of nowhere, he was clearly pissed, one could tell… Who would not be pissed off after coming through a demented Special Zone full of hard stone balls and annoying bouncing / vanishing stuff?

Fang exited from his "sleep" and, perfectly in character, laughed like a maniac at the hedgehog's expense… Then he took a jumping motorbike out of nowhere and tried to squash the rodent with it… He, however, was too fast for him and, eventually, Fang suffered a humiliating defeat, sinking into the marble ground thanks to a bouncing blue ball of spines…

Just like a videogame villain would have done against the Hero.

Satisfied with his victory, the hedgehog went forward and claimed his deserved prize… The fifth Chaos Emerald.

Only one was left to take and Eggman had it.

A little while later, Fang re-emerged from the ground… His previously mad gaze was now gone, a blank expression took its place.

The play was over, his mask was now dropped…

And there was nothing behind it.

Next time, he would play the role of a desperate, fallen actor who would kill himself with alcohol and drugs… And, of course, he would improvise.

**The End**

(Applauses and laughs)


	3. Silver the Hedgehog

**SILVER THE HEDGEHOG**

**By**

**Omicron the IceQueen**

* * *

Silver shivered.

It was the first time in his life that he had to do so. He didn't like it, not one bit.

The albino shivered again and his crest flattened back against his head, his ears air-planed to the sides. Despite his large main, that was hiding half his face at the moment, he was freezing. Arms wrapped around his middle and his legs pulled up.

Silver had, at first, tried to burrow instinctively but the ground proved colder the deeper he went. There wasn't any leaves around either to try and hide in, not that that would have occurred to him. Firstly leaves were too fallible for his tastes and secondly he'd never seen them himself until  
today, thus lacked the knowledge to know they could in fact help insolate him.

Having a fire was completely out of the question, more so after the hedgehog's panic attack at dinner.

Silver flicked one ear before flattening it again, he did feel bad now about that. He had scared Amy more with his reaction then anything. Sadly it wouldn't have been the first time that day.

The hedgehog Anthro shivered again, curling up even more and debating if he should fan out his quills would help any. Probably not come to think of it, he always did that when trying to cool down.

To think, he had enjoyed the coolness of the past before!

It really had been nice honestly. Silver wasn't just used to the hundred plus degree heat of his time, constantly day and night, but the albino was acclimated to it as well. Again, despite his main, Silver's once ash-stained fur was relatively thin, even more so in comparison to those Anthros of this  
time.

Movement near by had golden eyes snapping open and Silver's body tensed, but he relaxed slowly as he remember where Amy was and the movement came from there.

Silver smelled that flowery scent he had come to link with the slightly smaller hedgehog. It was still a new scent, that from flowers. Amy had almost hurt herself laughing at one point in the day watching as Silver kept getting distracted by new smells while he was talking. Like an invisible hand had reached out, grabbed his muzzle and pulled his crested head one direction to another.

The albino hedgehog closed his eyes, only to snap them open a second time. Baffled, he started to look down, opening his mouth to ask what Amy was doing when she pushed her head up under his chin.

It was like a switch flipped in Silver's head and his mind blanked, almost going numb. It wasn't a bad feeling, in fact the numbness bled away into a happy, blissful sensation.

Golden eyes half lidded, Silver stared into nothingness for a long time before he finally recognized the feeling of arms around him. Hugs were still a quite alien concept to him, having grown up with less physical contact then those in this time. Even with her friend, Blaze, they didn't touch unless to help or save each other, or when fighting Iblis'spawned minions.

This…this was different then the few hugs he'd gotten from Amy though. It wasn't confusing or awkward.

It felt right.

Amy took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh of relief once Silver stopped shivering, thus stopped the constant rattle of his quills. As she did so the pick colored hedgehog had a good chance to really get to know the male's scent. Even after the five baths she'd made and helped him take, Silver still had a smoky-ashy sent, thought not as overpowering as it had been.

The female Anthro had her face in the large gray tinted main, the top of her head up under Silver's chin and her arms wrapped around and under the quills on his back. It was really a sneaky thing for her to do, but she had a feeling (that proved right) that even though Silver had never had this explained to him or experienced it before, he'd still react like Sonic or  
Shadow had.

It was instinctual, and almightily what bonded mates did. The feeling of having a female or younger hedgie would trigger a peaceful feeling as well as a protective instinct in the male.

Amy was also sharing body heat, and after seeing what how Silver reacted to hugs he may not have excepted if she'd offered first. Amy felt a swell of pity for Silver as she felt with her

ungloved fingers how thin the albino's fur was and snuggled closer.

Silver had only the vague sense of what was going on. His eyes slowly closed as his body relaxing as well. It took him a while to figure out he has wrapped his own arms around Amy as well as shifting so that he was curled partly around her.

But it just felt so right!

A while later Amy looked up to find silver fast asleep. She smiled and hid her face back into his main, shameless enjoying the feeling since it was so big (and poofy!). The thing Amy couldn't know was that this night was the first time that Silver had an uninterrupted and long sleep since he was a little hedgie.


	4. Metal Sonic

**YOU'RE TOO SLOW!**

**By**

**The Conflicted Writer**

* * *

… That phrase. It gripped him. It ran around and around and around in his mind, never wearing out, never tiring, never resting. In turn and yet in contrast, he was worn out, he was tired… but he could not rest as well.

His claws scratched at the dirt that had newly been placed, resorting to such primitive methods as to actually stain his hands to dig. But he did not care. He had never cared. There was only one thing he cared about. But, it might be too late. He might have been…

_**Too slow.**_

It was a lie. It had to have been. It was merely a taunt his rival threw at him in order to 'tweak' him, as his rival would put it.

**_You're too slow!  
_**

And it had worked.

Time and time again…

He was perfect.

So why did he always loose? All those years ago, all the speeches he received from his creator about being better, stronger… faster…

Faster…

He was faster.

But he still lost.

_**You're too slow!  
**_

His fancy cloak which he had actually woven himself was loosing the shine he had worked so hard to fabricate from the shine of the Master Emerald shards as he flung the dirt every which way, occasionally hitting the large marble stone in front of him.

He had worked painstakingly at being the best. He remembered that whenever his rival wanted a rematch that he should simply give him a call, as he put it.

His rival lied.

He remembered when it had started. The hate. The actual need to be faster. All the planning. All the work. All the trickery. All the resources.

Wasted.

But not completely. He remembered asking why he always lost, why he could not defeat his rival. His rival was fool enough to answer.

_**Because, we're Sonic Heroes!**_

Yes… they were Sonic heroes… they were. His rival always had a goal, someone to run after. Someone to run to.

Someone to make him go faster.

In a casual battle, his rival would have nothing to loose… except his life. He would be to busy having fun to pay attention… it would have been the most ironic victory…

But his rival found an even more ironic way to win…

Slowly the dirt began to pile around the hole. The seven sparkling gems that he had brought with him were under that dirt. He did not care. He had to hurry. There could be no wasted time. If any time was wasted, it that would mean he had slowed down…

_**Slow…**_

He was not too slow… he was not slow at all… was he?

**_You're too slow!  
_**

He froze for just a moment.

Was all this in vain? Was he wasting time right now to even bother? Was he…

No. It was not a waste, no matter what. He had to know…

He had spent years… too many of them to count… making himself even better… even stronger…

Even faster…

He had upgraded himself with every piece of advanced technology he could  
find… he even went to other planets…

He had looked up every legend… gathered powers from all of this planet's 'gods':

Chaos, God of Destruction…

Solaris, God of Flames…

Dark Gaia, God of Despair…

Light Gaia, God of Joy…

Even Argus, the Jail Lord, the hardest of all powers to obtain…

He was all powerful. He was better than the best. But he had to be better…

He went to the floating island and defeated-no, massacred-the Guardian.

This should have been his clue to hurry and move faster… there was a new guardian. It was not the red brute. He did not bother with the face, though… he was too excited…

But it made him…

_**Too slow…**_

At last, he came to the big wooden box he was terrified he would find… it was six feet under the ground exactly, he noted with the littlest of humor possible. The box was a deep navy blue, carved to look as if the wind was forever blowing around the box…

**_You're too slow!_**

He had went on a world wide hunt for the Chaos Emeralds, the very second bane of his existence… it had taken him a greater amount of time than he had imagined…

His rival... he did that on purpose… he must have… he must have known… he must have planned this perfect irony…

It was all too convenient… it had happened not more than a week ago… just as he had found the last emerald in the grasp of the Ultimate Life Form.

The Ultimate Life Form… he mislead him. The Ultimate looked the same as ever… he wasted time by toying with him before ripping his head and pouring his black blood over his own emerald…

Just as he touched it… the emerald… the wave was sent through the air.

It was a whisper…

Such a loud whisper…

'Sonic the Hedgehog is dead…' the whisper said.

He did not believe it at first…

But now, looking back, he could see it…

He gripped the lid of the great box, digging his claws deep into it, and paused. He braced himself…

He knew what was in the box…

He just didn't want to admit it…

He didn't want to admit that his rival was right…

**_You're too slow!  
_  
**He had simply laughed when he heard the whisper. It was too fantastic concept to be true… but, he was not like most that could live in a fantasy land for long periods of time…

No… he saw the logic of the statement…

He could not believe that he had been…

Too slow…

With a mighty heave, he tore the lid away as if it were soggy paper.

And he saw it…

The proof…

The facts…

The reality…

…The truth…

Sonic the Hedgehog was dead…

He had died…

…of old age…

He picked up the still fresh body, it limping in his unfeeling hands…

That face… it had a wrinkled smile on it…

Sonic mocked him… even now…

He was so close… but he had been beaten to the punch by the slowest of all things…  
Time…

Time had taken Sonic's life before he could…

He had let the seconds creep by him, completely ignoring this snail paced  
idea…

He dropped the body suddenly. He could not strike… There was no point…

He screamed.

In his scream, he let the world know what was going through his mind.

His rage…

His despair…

His pain…

His void…

He realized with a horrible pang that his rival was right… he stopped screaming and fell on the dead body of his rival…

He was…

_**Too slow.  
**_  
"I'm too slow…" he said in his numb electric voice.

"I'm too slow…"

**End**


	5. Marine the Raccoon

**M **

**FOR **

**MARINE**

**By**

**Bureizo za Vampire**

* * *

Dusk.  
That was the time unfairness started to play.  
Unfairness? What unfairness?  
Unfairness. Yes. That time when everything was ruined. Everything was  
nothing.

Nothing.

Nothing, but bars. Not that the creature cared.  
No. The creature did not care about the ones who were like her.  
She had locked them up.  
Locked those up, like herself.

Harsh.

Cruel.

Hypocrisy.

Unfairness.  
It was dusk when it began. When she had demanded the order. Had she done it  
for fun? For a joke?  
Had she?  
No. She was serious.  
Serious. Her?  
Yes. As serious as the Prime Minister, himself.  
Prime Minister? Not anymore.  
No. He's gone. She has taken his place. But, now evil.  
However, she is just like them. Not by what she is, but her feelings.  
These locked up creatures seemed to have escaped. They are now running around  
freely, trying to escape the small area.  
Impossible! They shall be caught! They cannot escape.  
Her words were useless, though. She gave up. And, had gone in search of them herself.

The humans stepped back, and remained quiet. They kept their lips  
sealed, so amazed by being frightened of someone like her.  
She was just like those creatures locked up, though.  
Ditto. But, she was very good at getting what she wanted.  
Oh, there's more of her, though, ain't there?  
Oh, yes. Of course. Her past life was...

Terrible?

No. Quite the contrary.  
Oh, really?  
Yes. Really. Thirteen years ago she had fallen for someone. And, he really  
was quite a someone. However, a little child had come out of it, but that had  
happened long after she had fallen for this person... or creature.  
The child. What of it?  
Oh. It's still among us now. That deformed child.  
And, the creature?  
Nothing of that to know of. There was a specific reason why she kept the ones  
like herself in such prisons, though.

Dangerous?

Exactly! She found the powers used by these creatures to just cause trouble.  
Her biased opinion made her lock them up, where they could be kept.  
Was she proud of her work?

No.

No?  
No. She wasn't. She was guilty. Guilty she had been a hypocrite. Guilty she  
had taken control of... almost everything. She was now feared.  
It wasn't like that long ago, though.

Indeed.

She used to be a loveable one.  
Correct.  
Almost naive.  
Sort of.  
Did she lock up the child?  
No. She let him go... But, he, somewhat, released all the other creatures  
from their cages. His mother was distraught to find the boy had taken their  
side!  
Slow down... Mother?  
A pitiful excuse.  
Excuse for what?  
Letting him go. She was treating her son fairly, yet not with the others.  
The father? What became of him?  
She treated him the same way, as if he was nothing towards her.  
Like dirt?  
Like dirt. She treated him like stinking **! His freedom, though...  
So, she was pretty stressed out?  
Very much so. In search of finding the ones who had escaped, her son had  
watched her every move. He was a clever lad, having the genes of his father.  
Yet, was as wild as his mother... well.... at least... she used to be like  
that.  
Carry on...  
She spotted someone from far off.  
Oh, yes?  
And had sneakily tried to find who or what it was.

Who?

It was the one she least wanted to find.

Son?

No. Worse. She used her energy as an advantage, and attacked the creature who  
was fleeing away. However, her son was behind her, and ready.  
The young teen had lashed out at her. He released all his bitter hatred and  
anger towards her, but did not get far.  
He was killed?  
No! Of course he wasn't bloody killed. She wouldn't dare do such a thing to  
something so valuable in her life. She blasted him with her energy, and he  
remained unconscious. With slight anger, she looked around to see if any moron  
was watching.  
Were there?  
Two long figures were making their way towards her. She recognized them as  
human, and ordered them to take the boy back.  
They did.  
Yes. But, on her way back, she was suddenly swept off her feet. It was wind.  
No. It was more like...

Speed?

Yes. She couldn't define it, but certainly recognized it. In her past life,  
she had known this person. This hero.  
I know him.  
Of course. He stood before her, hands on hips. Smiling his cocky smile.  
And, she?  
Glared. Angry, and irritated. She spotted two other figures come into view,  
yet couldn't see their looks by the dark.

Mobians.

The word, she murmured. They wanted to get revenge by her cruelty.  
But, they had no chance.  
No, no.

Well?

The one with the cocky smile sped towards her, yet she was ready, and lashed out at him with frightening energy. She smiled when he fell back. Another one  
lunged at her, with a powerful fist. But, that was no match for her.  
Powerful fist, against energy? Who would win? Energy, of course.  
A powerful beam of energy hit the one with the first, square in the face. It  
fell back, wounded. There was just one left...  
She got ready, however the humans overreacted.  
They shot, and shot, and shot, and shot... and shot... and shot...  
The creature fell back, without a fight. The one with the cocky grin saw, and  
leaped towards the corpse. She watched with satisfaction, yet guilt.  
The one with the cocky grin, but no more, glared at her. Pure hatred in his  
eyes. She cared not the least, expecting such a gesture. The humans held their  
guns, protecting her.  
She smiled...  
And, moved.  
But, she didn't get away that easily!  
There was one more. But, he was filled with love.  
But, still a bit of hatred inside him.  
He knocked her to the ground, but she was quickly on her feet.

She turned and saw her once flying lover. They glared at one another. But, the humans spotted  
and were about to fire.  
She watched, her heart stopping, as he quickly lunged towards her. Knocking  
her off her feet, painfully. She wasted no time, but to get up.  
However... she was hurt.

Badly.

Something sharp had hit her.  
Ouch. Was she killed?  
No. Survived, unfortunately. The wound was not deep. She took this moment to  
blast the creature from the sky. He fell down, heavily. She ordered him to be  
taken away, along with the other crude animals.  
The one with the cocky grin was pulled away, staring at the corpse on the  
ground. He was hurt badly. His new lover, his princess was now dead.  
Because of her.  
She turned her back away, and exhaled. Four found, one dead. There were still  
many out there, still on the loose.  
She ignored the silent glares as she walked past the fugitives. She headed to  
where she stayed, and saw the child sleeping. He was very much unconscious,  
yet his breathing was heard.  
She thought this whole locking up would be simple.  
Well... heh heh... she had thought wrong, right?  
Oh, yes.  
So, what happened? Did they all break free?  
Who knows...


	6. Mephiles the Dark

**WHICH CAME FIRST?**

**By**

**Rae Logan**

* * *

He was always unstable. Always. From the start. Since the accident. Since the disaster. Since the experiments. Since the beginning of his existence. Since… before that.

His mind, his personality, his genetic makeup, even his body and the very molecules that made him a being were flawed and unstable. What was done to him was like adding fuel to the fire. His imprisonment. The splitting him apart from the other half of him. Mistaking him for Shadow…

Shadow…

Shadow the Hedgehog!

He was one of the reasons he was so insane, so unstable!

It was jumbled mess to him… all of it.

He existed because of Shadow. Because Shadow attacked him in the past. Because Shadow attacked him in the past because he attacked Shadow in the present. Because he attacked Shadow in the present because Shadow attacked him in the past.

He couldn't figure out which came first.

It was like the paradox of the chicken and the egg. Which one came first? One does not happen without the other… and the same if you reverse the statement. Neither can exist without the other, so it is impossible to determine where it all began.

Like him and his hatred of Shadow for what Shadow did to him. Like what Shadow did to him for him to hate Shadow. Like what he did to Shadow that caused for him to be hated and feared.

For a decade, he spent his life in oblivion. He couldn't tell which way was up or down or left or right. He just existed, with nothing more than his own mind to keep him company. His own unstable mind…

Ten years of isolation took its toll long before it was over.

He had long stopped screaming and now he began devising plans for if he ever broke free, and what he would do if he ever saw Shadow again.

He chuckled and giggled disturbingly at his own plots and ideas, amusing himself with his broken mind.

What was it Shadow had said to him? The last words?

"I'm Shadow… Shadow the Hedgehog…"

He snickered at his newest idea. He was going to make sure it was ironic when they met again.

What was it that he was called when he tried to escape from the cold and dark laboratory? The name he was called when he first sprung to live and tried to escape? The name that had echoed down the hallways as much as it did in his mind?

He paused in thought… and would have grinned wickedly if he could.

Mephiles.

He liked the sound of that.

Now… he needed a title… a last name really… he needed to be something.

Mephiles…

Mephiles… the…

The…

The…

He paused again, taking a moment to think in the darkness.

…

…

…

…

Wait. That was it! Perfect!

Mephiles the Dark! It had a wonderful ring to it, and it sounded as dark and menacing as he felt.

It was perfect! He squealed in excitement, knowing no one would hear the disturbing sounds of amusement he was making at his own brilliance…

…

…

…

…

Years passed. He could not keep track, but it seemed like forever. It was forever to him. An eternity.

He grew bored. He began devising more ideas on how to get back at the hedgehog he hated. The one the imprisoned and trapped him. Castled him into oblivion.

How he would stand. How he would laugh to mock him. The stare he would give him. Make sure that Shadow would remember this shadow from his past.

A shadow…

That's all he was right now. He needed to gain a form. He needed to make himself a tangible being in order to get his effects right. Then it happened.

The environment gave off a vibe that indicated that the Scepter was hurtled through the air. He could feel it spinning, the sensation making his misty form weave up and down and tumble a bit in the air as he felt a free fall drop happen.

He heard the shattering of glass and a saw a bright light.

This was it! The chance he was waiting for!

He broke free, his power causing a surge to the robots around him. He could hear an unfamiliar voice shouting at someone or something to retreat.

It didn't matter to him. He needed a form to take. He needed to find a shadow so he could track down the Shadow he wanted to hurt.

He found what he was looking for, not once taking a good long look at it. One could imagine his delight when he realized that he taken the shadow of Shadow the Hedgehog himself. He could tell when he saw the hedgehog's shadow was missing from sight.

It was just too much for him. He shivered in excitement and threw his head back to laugh at the irony. It was unbearably hilarious to him. The very one who ruined his life, for lack of a better term, resurrected him!

However, in a few minutes, he was growing increasingly angry with Shadow.  
Shadow seemed to not remember him at all. How dare he!?

He sealed him away into darkness for a decade, ten years! And he couldn't have the decency to even remember their encounter!?

Mephiles could feel that last remaining shred of sanity shatter like the Scepter had and he grew more and more unstable in thought. Fine. If that was how Shadow wanted to play… he'd play his little game too, but twist the rules to his liking.  
A flick of the wrist, a glint of madness in the eye and he sent Shadow and his friend, that bat, into whatever timeline his powers could reach.

He hadn't calculated this, but he ended up in the same timeline as well. Shadow was nowhere in sight… but he knew he was there somewhere. He could feel it almost like the opposite ends of the magnet. Something was drawing him to the right location. He decided to start putting to good use the plans he had devised. He wanted to appear menacing. Insane. Imposing. A nightmare.

…

…

A nightmare. A disaster. That's what he was…

…

…

He frowned and shoved that thought to the farthest and darkest corner of his mind. He snarled to himself softly, telling his mind to keep it's thoughts to itself. He'd ask it when he needed input.

He found Shadow. He was with several other people. But Mephiles could wait…

He counted until the bat left through the portal, leaving only Shadow behind. Before the hedgehog could leave to return home as well, Mephiles made his move, and distracted Shadow long enough to make the portal start to close.

He laughed when he heard the hedgehog curse. After all, it was just a little game to him…

Throwing him a "Come and get me!" look, he spun around and hurried off, drawing the hedgehog away from the portal, laughing all the way. This was all a mind game to him. And he was sure he was winning, because he was making the rules.

Shadow caught up eventually, and he continued to play tricks on the poor hedgehog.

But to his rage he found that Shadow was not falling for it.

He refused to play along with his little game.

Rage.

That emotion spread through him like wildfire. He felt his body change form and before he knew it, he was a beastly form of a hedgehog and he twisted his game again.

He demanded that Shadow entertain him as he unleashed a barrage of shadows on his command.

The game went on for a while. He had taken the place of Shadow's shadow and followed his every move. Mocked his every move. Teased him. Goaded him. Heckled him.

Then backup came for Shadow, and Mephiles found himself losing to his own  
game very quickly. He found that Chaos Spears and Omega Blasts could actually hurt him. Chaos Spears could paralyze him!

He didn't like how he was losing to his own game, and felt the urge to scream out: "No fair! No fair!" like a stubborn , spoiled child, but fought against it with a snarl and leaped at Shadow at his own attempt at a physical attack… only to receive a swift punch in the face the sent him bouncing on the ground.

Standing up and trying to regain his bearings, he found to his displeasure that that little tumble had left him almost too woozy to stand properly, and he stumbled. His eyes narrowed when he could see that Shadow was smirking at him, amused at this sign of weakness.

With a hiss, he opened another portal and jumped through without another word, altering the destination after he went through, knowing Shadow and that robot would follow.

Mephiles was away from Shadow for now and he powered down just a bot so that  
he'd look like a normal hedgehog, not wanting to attract unnecessary attention just yet.

His mind sorted through the recent fight and tried to find out why he was losing suddenly. Had he let his guard down? Was he keeping his expectations of that hedgehog too low? Was it simply because he was overwhelmed?

As he roamed the streets of Soleanna, lost in his thoughts, he was jarred savagely from them suddenly when something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye.

The sun was beginning to set and his shadow was castled on the building next  
to him. He shuddered when he had finally taken the chance to analyze his appearance.

He was a hedgehog. Quills upturned at a jagged angle. Short and thin.

Had it not been for his slouched posture, he would have mistaken it for Shadow's shadow…

Shaking slightly, he panted softly and stood up a bit straighter and clenched his hands, only to find to his horror that the resemblance to Shadow was now uncanny.

What ever shred of sanity he had been using to collect his thoughts suddenly snapped again. He slammed his back against the wall to avoid seeing his shadow, chortling to himself as he pulled at the fur on his face with a gray gloved hand, his legs threatening to give out and make him collapse to the sidewalk. But the image of his resemblance to his hated enemy did not leave his mind nor his vision, for now he could see it more clearly in his reflection in the window across the street from him.

He had become his enemy. He had become Shadow's shadow. A shadow of the past that became the shadow of the hedgehog named for such a concept. He was what he hated most…

His mind was always unstable…

Always. From the start. Since the accident. Since the disaster. Since the experiments. Since the beginning of his existence. Since… before that.

His mind, his personality, his genetic makeup, even his body and the very molecules that made him a being were flawed and unstable. What was done to him was like adding fuel to the fire. His imprisonment. The splitting him apart from the other half of him. Mistaking him for Shadow…

He couldn't contain himself any longer and let loose the loudest laugh he had ever done.

He may be insane… but he understands this a lot better than anyone else.

He was the one that came last. Shadow came first. He exists because of Shadow in more ways than one.

To him… the chicken, or in this case, the hedgehog, came first… and he, the shadow, was always the egg. Or rather… nothing at all, because he shouldn't exist at all…

And no matter how he changed the rules… he'd always lose at the game…

**THE END**


	7. Knuckles the Echidna

**LONENESS AND WASTEFUL**

**By**

**Darkness09**

* * *

Stars twinkling in the night sky, the moon reflecting the sun's ray to the dark side of the world, Knuckles the Echidna laid rested on the jewel that his entire generation has guarded, the Master Emerald. He lay on the side of it, getting some rest from the day that has past. He woke up during the middle of the night with his eyes filled with fear, as if he just had a nightmare. He was sweating with the stench of fear and anger. But his attitude remained the  
same as if he was used to this kind of situation.

"The same dream again." He said as he got up. He turned his head and looked at the emerald. His eyes started to calm themselves as he no longer felt any fear. He stopped sweating as he did not felt fear or anger anymore. He closed his eyes as he felt calm and at peace with himself. "At least the Master Emerald is safe." He continued as he put his hand on the emerald. It started to glow brightly to the point that he closed his eyes shut. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in a place he never been, in a strange realm.

The realm was filled with what looked like a green sea to what he saw. "What is this place?" He questioned himself, as he turned his head side to side to see his surroundings, though it was pointless, since there was nothing to look at. But all of the changed when he saw a light orb come from above him. The light turned to an oval shaped mirror. He felt partly weird out and partly amazed. He noticed an image on the mirror, so he decided to approach it. He took a look and saw his entire friends all playing around on the beach, having a great time. He looked around and found himself at the same beach. He started to run towards his friends and called out to them. Sonic called out to him to join them. So he decided to join them in all the excitement, but he notices that something was wrong.

As he was running more and more, he notices that he was getting farther and farther away. He notice them waving good bye to him. "Hey wait" He replied as he was distancing himself from the rest. Until the entire beach was gone and he was back to the green sea he was before, but not for too long as a white flash appeared and he was transported to another place. This time, he was on the plains, and saw everyone else playing and enjoying themselves, but something was different then last time. No one appeared to notice him anymore. He was calling out to them, but they did not listen, they only ignored him, as if he was only a ghost to them. His image was all white when he left the plains and back to the realm only to get transported to another area.

This time he was ported to the temple which contains the Master Emerald. As he turned to the emerald, he notices that there laid someone that look familiar to him. He walked up to him and was shock to see that the one standing there was an echidna just like him, but older, then he realize that it might be him. He was in total shock to witness himself in what he thinks is his far future self. He looked almost like him, only that he had a white beard and wrinkles on the echidna's face. He saw the old guy putting the hand on the emerald and started to let out a sorry look. "This is just getting to weird for me." He said to himself as he was clearly not talking to the guy he thinks is his own self.

"For years I have guarded the Master Emerald." The old echidna said as he continued to speak. "I have guarded you for my life, only to leave my own social life behind." The old echidna said as he turned and listen closely. "My social life started to get in my way from my duty and during that time, I would have had a choice to live this life and continued on my normal life, but I made my decision then. And I wonder if I made the right one. I was foolish at that time. Never cared much about others and wanted to be alone as much as possible. Even disliking some of the ones I wish were still my friends." He started to open his eyes as he notices that his life resembled to his and he now believed that this has to be the future. He turned side to side and wonder why everything around was all desert and no life. Then he heard the old guy speaking again.

"If only I helped my old and dear friends as they went off to go and fight that old doctor. But I was selfish and thought that the duties of my work would be more important then our friendship. And now, they lie on the ground surface and are in a long and peaceful sleep. Unlike me, having to think about that day as my days past by and time can only be the thing that can finally let me go and be at peace." The old echidna then turned to him. "Please, don't make that mistake; I don't want to live this life anymore." Then his vision started to turn bright as he could no longer see anything until he finally returned back to the present time of Angel Island. The emerald stopped glowing and he continued to stare at the reflection of himself on the surface of the emerald.

He continued to remember the visions that were shown and to him, it was more familiar then he thought, but not for too long as he remembered what those visions was similar to. "This was almost the same thing as I had in my dream this few days." He said to himself as he continued to think more on that subject. He was thinking that maybe those dreams and visions are telling him to leave his duties or leave his friends and to do it now, before his remaining life span will just be a wasteful thing. He now realizes that he can no longer expect to do two things at once. "So now what am I supposed to choose." He knows that if he goes and guards the emerald, he will only be getting loneness and he might waste his whole lifespan protecting something that anybody else could do. If he goes to his friends and leave his duty, then he might leave any sort of existence and the fact that he might put everyone in the world in danger.

As he notices the sun starting to rise up, he now sees that even as he thinks, time will never wait for him, but instead he should try to keep up with it. So he tries to think of one or the other. He closed his and started to clam his mind. He listens to his mind and heart to know the decision that he must make. Then he heard someone calling out to him. He opened his eyes and saw his long time rival and friend, Sonic, and the hedgehog's best buddy, Tails. They called out to him, to come and have some fun. He couldn't think of the chose that he had to make, so he just decided to join them and relax for a while. He didn't notice it then, but he had made up his mind. He is Knuckles the Echidna, former guardian of the Master Emerald.


	8. E 123 Omega

**CYBER SOUL**

**By**

**Darkblur**

* * *

A barren desert, with never-ending dunes of sand stretching far far away towards the horizon before returning as a pure blue sky, similar to glass, sits undisturbed. The only noise in this silent world is a hot wind whistling across the surface, carrying a cloud of sand with it as it flies over the tan ground.

All is calm, all is still...until a lone figure enters this world of heat and sand. He says nothing, he doesn't wince against the lashing wind, and he isn't tired out from the heat, but then again, why would he be? He wasn't alive.

His large arms swing back and forth as he marches over the sand, ignoring the loose material's tendency to squish beneath his weight. His red eyes didn't blink, even as the wind whipped into them, they just stared straight ahead. The merciless sun glinted off his black, red, and gold paint job, but also served to fuel the solar cells that were built into his shoulders, providing him with all the power he needed and keeping his internal power source well charged.

What would possibly drag anything, alive or not, to such a desolate place? The answer became apparent as a large, steel-gray spire began to rise up out of the sand, far out in the distance. The figure re-aligns himself to head straight for the spire, but still said nothing as he marched.

Slowly the spire begin to reach upwards to claw at the sky, and at an equally slow speed the main part of the image became visible too...a giant compound at the base of the spire, the same stony, steel-gray as the spire that stood over it.

The figure only paused to look up at the giant structure in front of him before marching up to the doorway in. The doors were shut, but they wouldn't be for long...he thrust both of his large clawed hands into the door and ripped the metal barrier clear out of the doorway, letting them splash into the sand behind him.

The figure entered and began his usual job...destruction.

He entered the first room he came across and looked around, seeing nothing but old, dead Eggbots littered amongst the rubble. They were twisted and contorted into grotesque poses, some were upside-down while others smashed beneath large portions of the ceiling, a couple were cut in half, a few smashed by some object hard enough to squash their heads and upper-torso flat, and some had holes punched into the chest, with wires and a small servo or two hanging out.

The figure observed each of the dead robots, deducing that the work was a result of a couple biologicals (or "bios" as he called them) he met a few years ago. They were all acquaintances of his only two friends, and since they had already done most of the work in this room, he continued on without disturbing the remains.

The same display of metallic gore met his eyes in the next dozen rooms and chambers. Finally the figure came across something that would help him, a computer terminal.

If it booted up, he could get a map of the base, data to hand over to GUN, and maybe even the conditions of the rest of the base.

His luck held out, the terminal began to start up when he pressed the on button. While waiting for the computer to finish starting up, a footstep from behind met his robotic ears. Within an instant his upper part spun around and he opened fire on where he heard the noise with his machine guns.  
After a two-second long shooting spree, he was satisfied and turned back to the terminal, just as an Egg-pawn collapsed to the ground, shot full of holes and leaking oil onto the floor. He wasn't bothered by it at all...they were the enemies after all.

The terminal finally started up and he downloaded everything of value into his memory, from schematics of canceled robot designs to the blueprints of this base to the global locations of a few bases he was unaware of. Once the last data bit was downloaded, he made short work of the terminal then set off.

With a map of the base now in his possession, he began his solemn job of destruction, targeting the most critical of places first. Of course, the first place he had to destroy was on the other side of the base, so he had to begin yet another march. However, unlike the other one where most of his memory was spent maintaining his course and monitoring the weather, this one only required a tiny part of his memory. As a result, he was free to 'think'...or at least, perform a reasonably close mimic of the task. He was a robot...robot's don't think.

He "thought" about his two friends, a couple of bios named Shadow and Rouge. What strange creatures those two were...Rouge's obsession with jewels was especially odd. To him, there was no value in them...they were little more than shiny rocks to him, but the female bat adored them to no end. He thought of where they were right now, what they might've been doing...and that in itself puzzled him.

He was a robot, he wasn't supposed to have made friends, he wasn't supposed to wonder what the people he knew were doing. He was supposed to follow orders, and yet...here he was. Was it possible he was beyond being a robot? The logical circuits overloaded when given the question and he gave up trying to figure it out. He couldn't be anything more than what he was, because he can't be anything but what he was...and yet he was exhibiting behaviors that he shouldn't be able to do.

His pondering was cut short when he heard a hissing noise and looked to see a small robotic snake had wrapped around his right arm. The thing was green and purple striped and had glowing green eyes, that it was currently using to glare at him.

That is what he was supposed to be, some simple metal machine programmed to follow certain orders when the appropriate situation arose.

Clearly this snake had no chance in beating him, but it still tried.

With a quick swipe of his left hand, he beheaded the robot serpent and continued on.

His "thoughts" returned to him and his friends as he walked on. They were capable of so much, they had free will, they had true thoughts, they had feelings, they were alive. He wasn't...and he became jealous of it.

Wait...Jealous? He was feeling...jealous? How could he be feeling jealous? He didn't have feelings, he was cold. He had a cold steel heart, not a warm beating one like in his friends, so how could he feel jealous? He abandoned the question, like the other, it made his logic circuits overload.

His footsteps continue on, resonating through the quiet of the abandoned base, his "thoughts" as blank as the walls.

After a fifteen minute march, he came upon his first target...a large room holding the remains of a large heavy-mech unit that the bios had defeated. The large humanoid robot was lying flat on the ground, cold and motionless. Its eyes were dull, its paint faded away, and its body coated in dust and the remains of the roof that collapsed on top of it. There were several portions on its body that were torn open and were oil and hydraulic fluid had spilled out, which were now dried onto the floor.

He looked upon the massive robot for almost a minute. It was such a waste of good parts, but that was the usual by-product of this endless war between his ex-creator and the bios...nothing but ruined robots. He remembered how the doctor had forcefully powered him down and thrown him into that bunker...how that act of rage on his creator's part had actually saved him from the same fate met by all of his robotic brothers...it still hurt though. Looking upon the wreck of that once proud fighting machine, it was too much. He closed his eyes, although really he just shut the covering over the lenses, and looked away. He lifted his arms and retracted his hands to fire off several missiles, blowing the remains of the golem to bits.

Why was he feeling this pain? He had no pain receivers, but he was still feeling...emotional pain? Betrayed? Upset? Enraged? He couldn't tell...he wasn't able to tell.

He looked back where the robot was, saw that his job done to a satisfactory level, the golem reduced to smoldering chunks of scrap, and turned to leave. He had several other objectives to ensure were destroyed before he got rid of the base.

As he continued on to the next location, his memory suddenly brought up one moment that also puzzled him...

* * *

**"_Did I ever tell you that...Shadow is a _**_**robot...and..." Rouge pauses as her ears droop a little, "Never mind." she mumbles before walking past him towards the door.**_

**_"You know about cloning?" he asked to Rouge, without bothering to turn around to face her. "The original must exist somewhere." he added before continuing on deeper into the room filled with Shadow androids._**

* * *

Did he really show compassion when he tried to comfort Rouge? Or was it sympathy? No...no it couldn't have been those things...he couldn't feel anything like that. Again he just put out of his robotic mind, continuing on towards his objective.

Only two Egg-pawns got in his way by the time he reached the hangar and both were taken care of, but unlike the first one in the terminal room, these were given a much less violent end...they were simply stabbed by his claws. All around the hangar was the wreckage of flying robots, some by themselves, some on top of others, but all were beyond repair. Over by the hangar doors was a large hole to the outside...a result of the bios attack that forced the doctor to abandon this base.

Without hesitation, he raised his arms and set his flamethrowers to work on the ruined planes. Over the next several hours, he marched all around the base taking out large targets like robots and critical areas like the armory or back-up generators.

His job was pretty easy...most of the robots he came across were either destroyed or shut down from lack of power. Unless it attacked, he wasn't going to do anything to them...they were already at peace, so he shouldn't disturb his fallen brothers.

Another strange "thought" came to him as he destroyed the base...maybe he was denying some part of himself. Could he be denying? Unless the doctor programmed him to deny, he couldn't tell. He might've been denying the fact that he could deny by thinking he wasn't programmed to deny. But what if he was?

No, he can't deny because denial requires free will which is a luxury that only bios have, not robots like him. It was yet another difference.

Those biologicals...they had everything and he had nothing. He couldn't tire, he didn't need to eat or sleep, and he had more acute senses than they did...but the bios still had such things as emotions, free will, and critical thinking. They were enjoying the sunshine with friends, while toiled in cleaning up after an endless war...he almost sighed upon realizing his pitiful life, but continued on in his work.

Finally came the time to end the base once and for all. He worked his way to the power generators and began to repair them...but wired in one minor difference as he worked.

While repairing the massive generators, he glanced over to see the "corpses" of the guards for here, scattered about with signs that they were destroyed by Chaos Spears. Most of them were facing away from the door, saying that they didn't even know that death was upon them.  
For some reason...he stopped his work when he saw one particularly horrid body.

It was a basic Egg-Pawn, rounded body and head, creepy grin, and small hands and feet at the end of hoses...but it was lying with its head against the generator and all around its body were the nasty slits cut by the Chaos Spears.

One cut across the right arm, almost lopping it clean in half, a half-dozen were through its body, and half a leg was missing...but the worst one was placed over the left eye.

The pawn was lying with its face angled just right for the dim lighting to glint around the missing eye, revealing the dried oil that was caked around it and the delicate circuits inside.

"Such a waste." he mumbled. Had he not known that he couldn't feel, he would've felt a surge of sympathy for the machine. He sorely hated his creator...no, his hatred for his creator went far beyond that word. All of these machines had such great potential, and here they were...being mercilessly slaughtered in a never-ending war, only to have an exact copy built to replace it. He didn't blame the bios, they were just protecting themselves and fighting back...it was all his creator's fault.

...and he hated that he was a product of that madman. He hated all of this...that's why he had to destroy it all...to never be reminded of it ever again.

After finishing the repairs of the generator, he turned to leave, exiting the desolate base in about ten minutes. He walked up to the top of a nearby sand dune before stopping to turn back to look at the large base.

In that instant, he had a sudden realization. Perhaps he did have feelings...maybe he could feel depressed, angry, confused, and everything else...maybe he could feel a bond with the bios...maybe that was why the doctor locked him away, because he couldn't be manipulated and controlled and different from the others...he wasn't a mindless drone. But if he did have feelings and thoughts, then why was he a robot instead of a bio? Could a robot really have bio characteristics? Maybe he was the first...

"Farewell brothers, you will not have died in vain." he solemnly said to the base before sending a wireless signal that kicked the generator on...and his modifications overloaded it and caused an explosion, destroying the entire base and throwing a giant fireball into the desert night sky. Another part of his...former identity was destroyed.

He was a new robot, one that was like a bio, but composed of metal and oil instead of flesh and blood.

As he watched, a small object fell to the sand in front of him, and upon looking down, he saw that it was an Egg-pawn's head.

He reached down and plucked it out of the sand, curiously looked at it for a few seconds, then  
carried it over to some other nearby shrapnel. He took a long pipe off the ground, then drove it back in so it stood vertically, then carefully placed the head on top of the pole...leaving behind a tiny shrine for all of his robot brothers that perished in that base from the doctor's orders.

"Rest easy brethren." he said aloud, "I will stop doctor Eggman one day. Then this war will end."  
He turned away from the makeshift shrine, looked through his memory for this nearest Eggman base, then plotted and set off on a course that will take him to his next target.

However, once again he had to give up most of his computing power to maintain this course, monitor the weather, and listen for reports of Eggman attacks. Having to give up all of that power meant that as he walked away from the base, he returned to the way he was...just a cold, steel machine...

...the real Omega receded away, only to be rediscovered at the next base and the next and the next, the same as he always was and the same as he always will be.


	9. Shadow the Hedgehog

**MY PURPOSE**

**By**

**The Nevermore Raven**

* * *

Purpose. Everything I know of has purpose. This world is filled with more purposes than one can possibly imagine. The sun warms the Earth. The Earth is home to life. Life thrives, reproduces, dies, and adapts. The people around me have purpose. The plants and animals around me have purpose, as well as anything else that crosses my mind, even if I can't find the purpose itself.

Here in the bleak weather I waited as clouds roll and tumbled through themselves high above and dropped cool rain upon this city. I am completely lost. My confusion is not of regard to location; that is no problem for me. I am used to my so called home. I know the general areas of landmarks and places. I know where certain people live, where they can go home and rest.

The people I mention are the only individuals that I know. I do not even know them at all. I have met them, heard of them, briefly when a time ago I had a purpose, a destiny. I had a goal and an objective, something that I could work on every day as I still lived and acted in response to whatever conditions I was subjected to.

I wanted to destroy the world, to finish off humanity in all of its insolent pride and glory once and for all. I was at my rope's end; I could not bear the pain I have endured for all of my life any longer. And then this happened. Right as I was about to fulfill my purpose, life decided to throw a wrench into my plans and ruin everything? Why? I was shocked by the new revelation for I did not have the slightest clue about what it held in store. Not that anyone else cares about that.

Reader, this is why I mention purpose. You see, everything has a purpose. Sometimes the purpose is not always obeyed, yet the purpose is still there. I do not have a purpose. The more days go by and time continues her march forward, the more I feel that I am completely useless.

Rain tapped incessantly upon my head as I allowed a lonely sigh out of my throat. The rain had started a minute ago, and my fur is getting colder by the minute. A large drop of rain plopped against my nose, causing me to experience a tickling discomfort as I resisted the urge to sneeze.

"Atchoo!" My efforts to avoid the reaction failed as my head jerked forward and raindrops were thrown off my face. My body became colder in the rain, and a following gust of wind failed to provide warmth.

My skin stung with the chill, and I decided to endure the discomfort. Why comfort myself? I have no purpose.

I took a step forward and narrowed my angry eyes as I looked around at the cement of the sidewalk, the tarmac of the road, and the glass of a nearby building. In the gloom of the rain, the building of glass appeared to be a dark blue shape that jutted into the sky. Behind me stood a parking deck, an arrangement of concrete pillars and grey floors stacked on top of each other. A red sedan rushed by on the road, sending spray into the air. I closed my eyes as the amount of water falling upon me doubled with the spray landing upon my back, thoroughly soaking my ebony fur.

A discontented growl escaped my lips as drops dripped off my ears, nose, and quills. Rain. Everyone else is in coats, in their buildings, under the shelter of umbrellas. They do not like rain. It is too cold, to grey, to wet and dreary. Rain does not bother me, for I feel the same way within my heart. Cold. Dim. Dreary. Attempting to make the lagging time speed up, I continued walking forward in the rain.

I believe I will get out of this rain, if only for a moment. I passed several more city blocks and started a sprint, flying forward as rain pelted against my body. Within moments I stopped in front of a pleasant looking house within a residential area. This area was more inviting than the downtown buildings, but it still held the look of bleakness weighing the scene down. I know who lives in this house I am watching, studying, and waiting near. He is one of the several individuals that I know.

With a sigh, I raced forth and hid in the back of the house, concealing myself in the back yard amongst the maple trees and juniper bushes. The leafed shelter provided me some comfort, and I sat down behind a shrub and against the trunk of a maple to once again muse to myself. I closed my eyes and listened to rain plop against the earth at my feet and softly tap the leaves that crowned the tree above. I rubbed my hand thoughtfully along the grooves of the tree trunk, fingering the jagged ridges of grey bark that had patches of light green and hairy lichen.

I am here because when I am near the others I am familiar with, I feel less oppressed. My mood lifts slightly, and my worries are diminished by the familiarity and comfort that the others seem to radiate. I am quiet and I am angry, but I realize that a soft spot is thawing in my frozen heart. I will not deny the fact that my heart is transforming, but I am reluctant to support it. Why should I love again? Every time that I have loved, I have ultimately received brutal loneliness, grief, and despair. Why should I love again, only to be hurt again, to expose myself to the pain that has crushed me in the past?

In order to love, I must be emotional, and in order to be emotional, I must be vulnerable to negative emotions as well as positive ones. That fact in itself would be balancing itself, but that fact does not consider the grief, the despair, the shame that I have experienced. My heart has been broken many times and on many occasions, and the shattering of my heart is to a far greater degree than one would expect...

I glanced up at the leaves above me. The maple leaves were a pale and gentle tint of silver from below, and they managed to calm me as I waited. My intended brief glance became a prolonged study. A burst of wind gusted through the leaves of silver, causing them to bend and softly rattle as the crown of the trees became a natural orchestra. I closed my eyes in my silence and waited on the trunk of the maple.

The wind and the rain are so soothing, so gentle and calm.

Even the trees have purposes and many purposes in fact. They grow, they wait, they bask in sunlight, and they draw water from the earth. They provide natural beauty, they produce shade. A bird softly chirped and my heart felt at peace. The sound of a door closing caused me to twist my ears in order to focus on the source. One crimson eye opened partway, looking toward the house from the corner of my vision around the trunk that was now a part of my sanctuary.

At the back of the house, a golden yellow form moved closer to the trees, walking over the lush grass as I waited silently. I could see large, deep blue eyes glance about the small patch of forest in an intensive, thoughtful manner. My mind filled with fear. I am fond of the fox boy. Tails. I have the urge to bond with someone else, and yet I have this fear that weighs me down. What if he leaves me? What if he dies? What if I am a danger to him?

My fear continued to fester when I heard the subject of my thoughts speak reluctantly. "Shadow?" I opened my eyes and watched his deep blue ones; the shade of his deep blue eyes complemented the carmine color of my own. The young pup slowly, hesitantly approached me, stepping around the evergreen shrub to watch me more clearly. I remained silent as he asked his second inquiry.

"Shadow, what are you doing back here? Are you lost?" I replied in my emotionless voice. "I am not lost. I can take care of myself." The blue eyes of the child seemed, for a split moment, to be pained and they recovered their composure quickly. The brief reaction planted a thought in my mind. Does he care about me?

"Sorry, I did not mean to make you angry," the boy apologized. He looked to the ground before focusing on me again. "Why are you here? Of all the places around, I did not expect you to be at my home." I closed my eyes. "Hmph. Why does it matter?" Tails' eyes flashed something else for a moment and he remained silent.

With a shrug I sighed and admitted, "I do not know what I am doing here, boy. I guess I felt like being here." "Oh, I see." Tails flicked his ear after a drop of water plopped onto it, flinging the drop off his head and onto the ground of soaked leaves. "Why are you so sad, Shadow?"

His question caught me off guard. I had to register his sentence before answering defensively, "I am fine. Leave me alone, kid, or I will leave myself." The pup had a thought flash through his blue eyes. "I worry about you, Shadow. You always seem so depressed and alone," Tails stated as his eyes studied my own. With that comment, my mind snapped. "I do not need your petty kindness, boy. I am fine."

"That does not worry me." Tails stopped himself in his sentence, realizing what it seemed to be. "Sorry! That is not what I meant. I am trying to say that does not worry me right now. What worries me is that although you say you are fine, I can tell you are not." I growled and clenched my fist. "Leave me alone, boy," I said as I stood up and started to walk away. The kid had a glimmer of determination in his blue eyes. With that said, I quickly sprinted away and into the forest.

* * *

The surroundings of greenery and the tapping of rain on leaves surrounded me, filling my mind with peace.

I leaned against a large, moss covered rock and closed my eyes as I lay on its soft carpet of green. Why does that fox even bother with me? He does not know what I have been through. He may know about it, but he will never know what it really feels like. I sighed quietly and raised my hand to rub my head, for the thoughts were starting to cause faint throbs of discomfort to pulse within my skull.

Emotions! Why are they so damn confusing? I do not want to bond with someone again. It hurts too much. I would need to fight my way though all of my fears and pain to love someone again, to have a friend. And... What if I lose my friends just like I have before? The very worst thing I could possibly experience would be to lose everything that mattered to me again like I did on the wretched colony that floats in the vast loneliness of space.

If such an event were to happen, I would drop every last ounce of my will to live on and continue suffering. I would go deeper into the ground than I am now. Now my heart is frozen in permafrost, sealed off to avoid pain, and yet it still hurts. I sighed again. If that happened again, I would send myself two meters below the ground in my self-induced grave...

Yes, reader. I am referring to killing myself. If you want to be completely ignorant and foolish, call me "Emo." It bothers me to no end when people call me that and mock me for it. When I think of "Emo," I think of some poor soul that is so unstable that the slightest inconvenience will cause him or her to burst into tears and have a bout of wrist cutting or suicidal thoughts.

I am a world apart from "Emo." Next time you call someone "Emo" consider what they have suffered through. If they have not suffered greatly, then I guess they are absolutely "Emo." If they have suffered extensively, than almost no one even partly understands where they stand in life.

I do not cry over small inconveniences and the occasional insult. I have experienced the death of my family and torture. I have been abused by the government and sick individuals on a multitude of ways. Emotionally, physically, psychologically, sexually, I have been delivered the entire package of ultimate shame, and I hate it.

I looked down at the ground. At my feet a large, silvery grey puddle was laying perfectly still on the ground. It was beautiful in its own right, a pool of melting silver, a delicate mirror formed by nature. My fears returned to me and a shudder ripped through my chest as my heart ached. I have spent my time in the darkness. Darkness. Night. The moon. Death. Pain. Fear. Hate. Each of these has an opposite, a concept that perfectly balances the negative out with positive. For darkness, there is light. For Night, there is Day. The Moon has the Sun. Death has Life. Pain has Joy. Fear has Hope. And Hate has... Love.

This puddle is a mirror, a reflection. I look into the puddle, and it shows me what I am. Before me I can see, lifeless, empty crimson eyes. My sister once told me that I have beautiful eyes. She loved rubies because they would remind her of my eyes. Purest crimson. Like rubies. The color of blood. Blood is the vital fluid within my heart that carries life. I loved Maria. She was the best sister I could have ever had.

Love... A single wave of ripples spread across the silvery surface from just below my face as I stared at the water. I closed my eyes as a second tear fell onto the mirror of water. Love. I want to be loved. I want to bask in the sunshine and be loved. I have found out that if I love, I will hurt... but... if I do not love I will hurt far, far worse.

A third tear fell onto the puddle, adding moisture straight from my aching heart to its reservoir of water.

I opened my eyes again. Deep within my ruby eyes, I could see a soft, pleasant glow of emotion. I sighed again in relief. A great weight upon my heart was at once lifted and forgotten, so completely it was almost magic. My heart hurt greatly, but I realized something as several tears left my eyes. Love. My purpose is to... love...

**The End**


	10. Espio the Chameleon

**INVISIBLE DETERMINATION**

**By**

**Writing Nobody**

* * *

Determination, the one thing a person needs in order to do something. Without determination, there are only soulless people doing their jobs. Everyone has a goal; they need determination to push them to that goal. You always keep on trying. No matter what is happening. It is the way of people. If it doesn't work, then you keep on trying until it does. Why don't we take a close up on a character that seems to have that sort of outlook?

A certain ninja detective who keeps on working until the job is done.

* * *

The moon, always in the sky and determined to bring the small bit of light into the darkness of night. I wonder why the moon even tries. Is it for its own self gain or because it really has a purpose, to bring forth light. The moon doesn't have to rise in the sky and shine its dim light on Mobius. But it does anyway.

Tonight, Espio the Chameleon was on a case. He told his friends Charmy and Vector that he would go alone, he needed the alone time. The case was to find a kidnapped girl, around Charmy's age, but too young to be in a situation like that. Her name is Mary, last seen in the playground with her friends. Her mother is rich and her father is dead.

"She's so unfortunate."

He had a good lead on where she would be. The tall fences were easy to scale and Espio ended up in the bad part of the Station Square. The part where good people die for no good reason and for all the bad reasons. Some barrels with fire lit within them had homeless people huddled around them for warmth. The streets were littered with torn down posters and trash. Buildings with broken and boarded up windows and graffiti stained some walls and dumpsters.

Espio then began to sneak through the wasted streets determined to find the building that his lead gave him. He was determined to find this girl. He had met the crying mother of Mary. Tears streamed down her face as she begged Espio to find her.

She couldn't pay the ransom that the kidnappers had demanded and now she relied on detectives. Of course, he said yes, he couldn't refuse a widowed mother that had lost her daughter.

Now, he silently ran through the alleyways, making sure no one was following and making extra sure that no one knew he was there. He made it to the location and stood in front of an old broken down dark green building. Four stories high and Espio made a well thought out assumption that the girl was being held on the top. Before he snuck in, he thought about the type of people that he's dealing with.

Since they kidnapped a little girl and want a ransom, they are serious. They already sent the mother Mary's finger.

Seeing their brutality, they must be really serious. There is also a good chance that they might be armed. Probably normal pistols, that biggest they might have is probably a sub machine gun but nothing stronger.

Espio then snuck into the building by silently taking out a couple of boards that covered up one of the windows. The smell of blood was in the air and it almost made Espio gag. He snuck through the first floor making sure that it was clear of any enemies. He found the kitchen holding four male dogs all of them playing what seemed to be poker. One gray, wearing a red jacket and regular blue jeans, a smile on his face looking at his cards. The second white, wearing a white tank top with black pants, he on the other hand had a hesitant look on his face. The third brown, wearing a black long sleeved shirt and regular jeans, a pair of sunglasses masked his emotions. The last is a black dog, wearing a green jacket and brown pants.

The one thing that Espio noticed that all of them had in common was the fact that they all had a fire arm. He saw that each had a pistol, but the black dog had a knife strapped to his waist. Espio tried to come up with a plan to kill them all without making a sound, but it obvious that he would have to make some noise as he was there. The only sound reason was to knock them out with some sleeping gas, but if there were more people upstairs the person would kill the girl and his work would be for nothing.

_**I should check out upstairs first, to see what I'm up against.  
**_  
His Chroma Camo Cloak made him invisible to the naked eye. He was about to make his way upstairs until a bit of dust made its way into his nose.

He was about to sneeze.

Espio tried to hold the sneeze in but it didn't work.

AACHOO!

His invisibility power left him and the four poker players eyed him with shocked expressions.

All four of the dogs reached for their pistols but were to slow. Espio had already thrown two shurikens which landed on the hands of the gray and white dogs, making them drop their weapons in pain. The other two however, had their guns raised already and opened fire.

The chameleon rolled near a counter for cover. The shooting stopped and footsteps were heard advancing on his position.

But to their surprise no one was there, it was like the chameleon had just vanished or in other words, hide. Espio appeared behind the brown dog and touched one of his pressure points, making him go to sleep. Before he could turn to face the black dog, a knife plunged into his thigh.

The black dog smiled as he looked right into Espio's eyes.

"You're dead you freakin lizard."

That was all the dog could say before Espio hit his pressure point.

Espio hit the ground on his knees. Hands over his stab wound. He looked around, all four dogs were unconscious. He doesn't need to kill them, he'll just let the police figure out what to do. He forced himself on his feet the pain of the wound demanding that he get to a hospital, but he still had a case on his hands. He pulled himself up the stairs, luckily there was no one else in the second or third floor. But as he went up the stairs to reach the fourth floor, he could here faint cries. The cries that came from the little girl. The last floor, was just one big room. But it had a small door that lead to a closet. That is the source of all of crying. The room was basically empty. Nor furniture no boxes, a hanging light bulb that gave off only small amounts of light, torn down wallpaper and that one door.

Espio made his way over to the door, blood seeping out of his wound and dropping to the floor. The wound hurt a lot, but he still had a job to do.

He removed the numerous locks that kept the door from opening and opened the  
door. He found a little wolf girl, her dress tattered, dirty and a bloodstained. She had cloth around her right hand and she was sobbing. Espio took small steps towards her, telling her that he was going to help her. The girl then took Espio's hand and they left the apartment.

The police arrived soon after and the kidnappers were arrested. Espio carried Mary to the hospital and contacted her mother about her. She was overjoyed to hear the news and she was crying. She said the he would receive his pay the next day. But Espio didn't get his wound checked out. He simply went back to the Chaotix Detective Agency and treated it himself. Knowing that if there was no determination, that girl would never be seen again.


	11. Tails Doll

**PLUSHIE****!**

**By**

**Master Metallix**

* * *

Hi! It's me, everyone's favorite plushie! Wanna play a game? Yay! What do you wanna play?

Oh! Oh! I know! Let's play tag! Tag! You're "it!"

Ha ha! Can't catch me! I'm too fast for-

Huh? You caught me already? Oh well, my turn again!

One, two, skip a few, three, four, skip some more, ten! Ready or not, here I come!

You better run! I'm getting clooo-ser! Closer… closer… Tag! You're "it" again!

Bye! You won't catch me this time! I'm home free, and I am getting out of-

What? You caught me again! How are you catching up so fast? Are you cheating?

What'd you say? Did you just say I'm slow?

Prove it, then! Let's race! Once around the block, and the first one back wins!

One… two…

Two and a half…

Ha! You tripped! Lucky for me I can fly, so I don't have to worry about tripping and falling, and I keep my shoes (and the rest of me) clean!

Hey, wait a minute! Where are you going? What about our race?

Alright, you do the count this time. Okay? Jeez…

"Ready… Set… Go!"

Yeah! I'm in front of you! Now I'm gonna-

Ow! Stupid tree! Now I got a scratch on my arm, and I'll need surgery to stitch it up later…

Hold on a minute, wait for meee!

Come on… come on… I gotta catch up, I can't lose to some kid…

I passed you! Ha ha!

I'm halfway there! And unlike you, I don't get tired, which means-

Hey, you dirty cheater! You can't pull my tails! Cheater, cheater, wife-beater! No, wait, it's pumpkin eater, not wife-beater…

Whatever, if you can pull my tails, I can pull your ears!

Man, this would be so much easier if my fingers weren't plastic claws…

Well, I can still catch up!

Gotcha again! And I'm too high up for you to grab me this time!

There it is!

Goal!

I won! I won I won I won!

You're surprised I won?

I'll have you know, I once raced against the Sonic the Hedgehog! And guess who won that one?

Umm… he did.

Don't laugh at me! As if you could win a race against Sonic!

Why would Sonic race a flying doll in the first place? Well, uh, a man called Eggman told me to race him and-

Hey, don't run away! I'm not finished talking yet! You're being rude!

Huh? You're not leaving? Okay…

What was that? You don't want to be seen running from a doll? Well…

Who could want to run from a handsome, harmless doll like me? Look at me! I'm cute, cuddly, and huggable! Give me a hug!

You don't want a hug? Okay, no hugs… Boo hoo hoo… You don't like me…

Wait a minute; I never finished telling you about my race with Sonic!

Eggman didn't give me rocket-boosters or any of the stuff he gave the other toys, 'cause they'd burn my fabrics off. The cotton and all this stuffing were supposed to protect me from crashes. Plus, it's easier to fix than metal!

Oh yeah, the race… Sorry.

He cheated! Sonic cheated, I swear he did! I swear - no wait, I don't swear, swearing is bad - I tell you, Sonic the Hedgehog is a cheater! He cheated worse than pulling my tails like you did!

Don't you look at me like that, 'cause you did…

Anyway, he grabbed these giant shiny jewels, these radioactive-looking rocks, and they mutated him; they turned him gold, with evil demonic red eyes, and he started flying through the air, flying faster than me! Faster than Metal Sonic and Robo Knuckles, too! He crossed the finish line first, that dirty cheater, and he got to keep the glowing rocks, too! Ran off before I could catch him!

Eggman was so mad at us, his face looked like his jacket…

I wish I hadn't lost that race. If we were actually allowed to fight, I'd have made short work of that hedgehog and made Eggman proud of me. I can't possibly be as slow as they say I am! I managed to catch up and tag him once or twice, so I know I'm good enough to beat him! But he won that race! That godda- I mean, good-for-nothing race! I could have beaten him up and torn him limb from limb with these claws! I can tear that blue pin-cushion to shreds like a lion! Grroaaawwwrrrhh! If that hedgehog thinks he can just kick me around like he does with all of Eggman's other toys, he's got another think coming! He couldn't beat me to death if he tried! All this stuffing cushions me so that even that crazy pink girl's hammer won't hurt me! Dun, dun-dun-dun! Dun dun! Dun dun - can't touch this!

But we weren't allowed to fight, and I lost, and Eggman got mad at me and threw me in the trash! I hate that hedgehog! Hate him, hate him, hate him! Sonic can go to he-

Hello? Are you even listening to me? It's not nice to ignore people when they're talking to you. Could you pay attention? Where are you going? I'm not finished talking to you! What are you doing with your hands? What does that me- Hey! That's not nice! Didn't your mommy ever tell you they cut your fingers off for doing that? Don't make me come over there! I'll fight you! I'll hit you so hard over your big fat head that you'll be able to kiss your own feet while standing up!

Don't you know who I am?

I'm the Panic Puppet! El Muñeco de la Muerte! The one, the only, the terrible Tails Doll!

That's right, fool, Tails Doll!

You've heard of me, huh? Yeah, you'd better be scared!

…Okay, now you're overreacting. You look like you've seen a ghost. What's wrong… are you singing?

"Can't hold on much longer - but I will never let go!"

…Never heard that one before… Oooh, let me try! I can sing!

Living in the city - You know, you have to survive… You've got to keep the dream alive…

Now you're running from me? Man, you're completely freaking out and crying for your mommy over some freaking song!

"Please, don't hurt me! Don't kill me! Don't…"

Don't… what?

Did you just say… steal my soul?

You think I'm gonna steal your soul?

Hold on a minute… Now I'm curious. What makes you think I was stitched up with the power to steal people's souls? And just where would Eggman get that kind of power? Besides, even if I could, what am I gonna do with it, eat it and say it tastes like chicken? Am I supposed to stuff it into the body of a zombie for a couple of evil sorcerers from another dimension? What crazy person gave you the idea that I can steal souls?

…You saw it on the Internet somewhere? And you actually believe all that bullsh- that cock-and-bull story about a "Tails Doll curse?" You eat up a collection of faked pictures and haunted-house music put together by some geek full of braces with twenty-five hours a day of spare time on his hands?

Man, what a weirdo.

You're even dumber than that echidna, Knuckles, and he sleeps with a giant glowing rock. People say he never leaves it, not even to use the bathroom! I bet he's grinding some pieces of it to dust and sniffing it and that's what makes him so hard-headed. All of them are stupid. Sonic can run fast enough around the world to kick his own butt, literally, but he can't get away from a whiny little girl who carries a heavy hammer with her everywhere she goes! If that Tails kid is as smart as everyone says he is - and I'm glad at least I'm supposed to look like the smart one - why does he play with a bunch of idiots like them?

All this whining and complaining is making me hungry.

Can you feed me?

…How am I supposed to eat?

Like this!

Un-Zip!

See? My smile is so beautiful, its dazzling brilliance turned Michael Jackson white!

…Come back here! You can't leave when I haven't finished talking yet!

I'll pay you!

Psych! What I really meant was, I'll make you pay!

Look up… look… can't you see it? Look at it… it's shiny and red, just like dinner…

Come closer… closer to the light… a little more…

Slash!

Gotcha!

Stop rolling around! You'll get covered in dirt and street trash, and I might get sick later!

I said hold still!

Slash! Slash!

Much better…

Chomp, chomp, shhhrrrrppp...

Mmmmm… blood… so soft… so delicious… so sshhh-schlurrr-py…

Yeahhh… I needed that.

Now where do I put the rest of this mess? …Whatever, I'll just dump the leftovers in that trash can.

Bye-bye!

Ahhhh… wow, it's a beautiful day today, isn't it? No traffic, not a cloud in the sky, and for sure there's no damn Reactive Factory machines or noise… Just you and me, the fresh air, and a bright, sunny day!

Can't you feel the sunshine?


	12. Maria Robotnik

**FREE**

**By**

**LightDarkandChaos**

* * *

She gazed at the Earth through the ARK's main windows and sighed longingly. She'd looked at that blue planet for so long, wondering what it looked like on the surface.

'Wonderful, I bet. Grass, lakes, flowers… I wish I could  
see it.' She sighed again, sorrow passing briefly over her face. She knew  
her immune system was far too weak for her to be able to survive anywhere but  
the sterilized ARK, but that didn't stop her from dreaming. 'And maybe  
someday, Grandfather will find a cure. Maybe someday, I'll be able to see  
that blue planet.'

"Hey! The Professor said you were in the Computer Room!" A voice from behind interrupted her musings. She turned and smiled at the hedgehog walking over to her, smiling brightly.

"Don't you look bright eyed and bushy tailed, Shadow!" she teased gently.  
"My eyes are generally bright, but my tail does not appear to be any bushier than usual," he said, clearly confused.  
"It's a metaphor, Shadow. Grandfather uses it a lot." She smiled at the Mobian's obvious confusion at the term and continued.

"I don't really understand it either, but I think it means happy."  
"Well, in that case it's true. You have that effect on everybody," he  
laughed, turning to look out the window beside her. Her smile took on a hint of sadness as she returned her gaze to the mysterious planet. 'Yes… I have that effect on everybody but myself. All the scientists call me a little ray of sunshine, but I can never seem do anything but depress myself.'  
"Shadow? What do you think it's like on Earth?" she asked suddenly,  
turning to face him.  
He looked up at her, surprised. "I'm sure it's wonderful. And when the Professor cures you, you'll be able to go there." The sorrow faded from her face as she broke out into a huge smile.  
"No, Shadow. We'll go there together." He looked at her incredulously, then started to return her smile. Maria hopped down from the platform they'd been standing on and started to  
run off in the direction of the Computer Room, the only fun room in their opinion.

"Race you!" she called back. She hadn't taken more than three steps when she collapsed, lying limply on the cold floor. The last thing she heard before losing consciousness was Shadow desperately calling her name.

* * *

She lay still on the hospital bed, glaring up at the drab ceiling with an unusual anger burning in her azure eyes.

'I collapsed. Again. In front of Shadow, even.' He'd seen her weakness before, and it hurt her every time. Why had she been cursed with this terrible affliction?

"I didn't do anything," she muttered, fury rising in her voice. 'I did nothing to deserve this incurable malady. Nothing, do you hear me? Nothing!" she yelled, a tidal wave of wrath washing over her. For a few short minutes, she welcomed the freedom anger gave her. Then the light died from her eyes and she sank back into the bed.

'I mustn't think that way. I'm sure Grandfather won't rest until he finds a cure for me. Until then, I'll just have to live in this weak body.' She could handle it. She'd done it her whole life.

* * *

She was standing in front of the windows again, but she wasn't watching the  
Earth or the stars or even the vacuum of space. She was looking at her  
reflection.

'The results are in. I have about a month of normal health left. Then my body will start to fail and I'll be practically catatonic. After about two weeks in that state, all my vital functions will fail and I will die. Grandfather's working like crazy but I know he won't be able to finish a cure in time without sacrificing Shadow, and I will not allow him to do that. I may not live to see that blue planet, but he will.' She didn't notice that she was crying until something moist ran down her cheek. Another tear ran down her reflection's face. That single tear was all it took for her to break down.  
"Why?" she screamed. "Why me? What did I do to deserve to die before I  
turn 16?" She fell to the ground and curled up, sobbing her eyes out.

She walked into the room to see her Grandfather speaking into a camera. He looked even more worried than usual and strangely scared. She snuck up behind him and flung her arms around his shoulders in a hug, peeking out at the camera.  
"Don't worry, Grandfather! Shadow and I will protect the world! Right, Shadow?" she asked the camera playfully.

Her grandfather looked up, startled, then smiled and continued the recording. After it was finished and he ushered her out of the room, she wandered aimlessly, considering what she'd said.

'The only time I'm happy now is when I'm with Shadow or I'm thinking about him. I guess it's because he takes my mind off the fact that I've only got two weeks left…' She continued walking, tears shining in her eyes.

* * *

She walked into the office with Shadow holding tightly to her hand. The Mobian had noticed her growing weakness and took it upon himself to help her. It was very kind, but it also hurt to be helped with things she had once done easily by herself. 'And now I only have three more days left with Shadow before…' She broke the train of thought off immediately. She wouldn't break down in front of others.  
"You wanted to see us, Professor?" Shadow asked curiously, looking at her grandfather.  
"Shadow, take Maria and run for the escape capsules. GUN has betrayed us. They are attacking the ARK as we speak," he said gravely, gesturing to a row of monitors.  
Each screen showed a different part of the ARK, but they all had one thing in common: the soldiers in GUN uniforms storming the labs and slaughtering everyone they saw.

"What about you, Grandfather?" she asked anxiously as Shadow started to turn, tugging gently at her hand in an effort to notify her that it was time to leave. He sighed, suddenly appearing incredibly old.

"I'll be fine. They won't dare kill me. Now go before they seal off the escape room!" She nodded and ran out of the room, Shadow by her side.

She raced along the hallway, her breath coming in short gasps. The hedgehog beside her wasn't even breathing hard, but his eyes were filled with concern.

"It's not much farther to the escape room. If we can get there we'll be safe," he said, trying to reassure her. 'No, Shadow', she thought. 'I won't be safe on Earth. The professor didn't succeed in curing me in time. I'll fall into a comatose state in three days and spend the rest of my short life that way.

"I know," she said instead, trying to smile. At least one of them would live long enough to see earth.

"Get into the escape pod. I'll hold them off," Shadow ordered, turning  
to face the battered door.

"Shadow, they'll kill you! They have guns!" she pleaded.  
"Just do it!" he yelled, showing a rare flash of anger. Her face set as she realized what she had to do. She ran towards the control console, making sure Shadow heard her footsteps.

The door creaked in protest as the soldiers battered mercilessly. 'Please hold just long enough for me to get there,' she thought desperately.  
The door broke down and a soldier ran through. Shadow stood in the center of the room, his hands beginning to glow with a Chaos Spear. She reached the console as the soldier yelled for him to freeze. She grabbed the controls and brought the escape pod down over Shadow just as the soldier spotted her. The Mobian turned, pressing his hands against the glass, his face a mask of disbelief.  
"What are you doing?" he asked desperately. She smiled sadly as the soldier raised his gun. It seemed to happen in slow motion-first the horrible sound, then the tearing pain, then the inevitable fall.

"Maria!" Shadow yelled throwing himself against the glass. She leaned against the console as the soldier ran towards her. The wound hurt, but it brought with it the knowledge of the dying. Knowledge that was definitely worth the price. "Promise me, Shadow, that you'll give all those people on Earth a chance to be happy, okay?" she said, smiling sadly as blood ran down her dress. "I-I will." Tears fell on both sides of the escape pod. She really smiled when she saw the look of grieving on his face, just before she pushed the launch button. 'Oh, Shadow… Can't you see? With my death, I am finally… Free.'


	13. Blaze the Cat

**LEPIDOPTEROLOGY**

**By**

**Respice Finem**

* * *

Have you ever seen a butterfly collection?

The delicate wings stretched apart to showcase their brilliance and hide the ugly body beneath. The thousands of deceased framed in an orderly grid like a work of art after their own socially acceptable crucifixion.

Magnificence disfigured.

Splendor impaled.

What once flew on gossamer wings now mutilated, its shame and death displayed for the pleasure of the world. What was once free and unconfined now skewered and used to decorate man's pride and assuage his primal urge to kill.

Stripped of its ability to see, and to laugh, and to think, and to run… Just presented to twisted admirers in inescapable dishonor.

* * *

The demon rears its head, and a pillar of flames towers above the platform of rock that we stand on. The glow of the magma illuminates the craggy mountains with an unearthly light.

He walks forward- my lifelong companion. He holds the two sacred gems in his hands. He speaks to it with a commanding voice. He offers himself as a vessel.

He holds aloft the gems and the fire races toward him in a snakelike motion.

But something is wrong.

He is being rejected.

The flame pulls back, it resists his command, it whips and contorts, jerking away from his touch. He grunts in slight pain and the effort of keeping the living fire in control.

He is suffering. He is failing. And now I know what I must do.

I step forward and place my hands on the luminous gems, looking into his eyes. And decades worth of emotion and memory are poured into that one glance.

I think he understands.

He releases his grip and I hold the emeralds in front of my eyes. The flames rush toward me, they envelop me. And they sleep within my body.

My blood becomes fire. My soul is alight. Everything is burning. I close my eyes and stumble forward, dropping the two sacred emeralds on the rocky terrain beneath me.

I'm… Floating.

I scream at my comrade, I plead with him… Seal me away!

I can't take it! I'll give in to my cowardice!

I'll release the demon…

Do it.

Please…

The pain is too much. My enervated muscles groan as I reach out to him one last time.

I burn, and the fire burns out with me.

* * *

I'm lying prone on a cold floor. Funny… It's not stone… Not wood. It feels like… Nothing. That's just it. It feels like nothing. My left arm is twisted under my body and its fingers have fallen asleep. My jaw aches from the awkward position in which I have placed my head on the floor.

I move my right arm to the side of my head and push, dragging my knees up to my chest. I shake my limp left arm and thousands of invisible needles lodge themselves in my skin.

My eyes crack open. But something isn't right. I see… Nothing. I blink, trying to dispel the darkness that envelops me, but to no avail. Shuffling forward, I push myself up and kneel on the indescribable floor. I look down and find that I can see my knees.

I'm sitting in a spotlight. I stare up into the blinding light and fail to identify the source. Sighing in exasperation, I stand and survey my surroundings.

There is nothing.

Nothing…

I call out. The reply comes in the form of my own words, having bounced from an undefined wall. I give another shout, and that, too, echoes back.

I tentatively begin walking forward and find that the spotlight follows me. I continue to search for any other sign of life.

Nothing.

Only darkness.

My pulse quickens and my stomach drops. Am I truly alone? My jaw hangs open and my eyes dilate, pupils flicking around the expanse.

Still nothing…

My breath becomes shallow and swift and I break into a run. There is no change in scenery. Like running on a treadmill- There's no indication that you've gone anywhere.

I'm frantic by now, and my enervated lungs protest their heavy use. I hunch over, gripping my knees and try to catch my breath.

I had seen nothing.

Still nothing.

There was nothing.

And then…

Then there was something.

A timid call, a whimper in the darkness. My heart skips a beat. I'm not alone.

I force myself to run again, ears swiveling and twitching to locate the source of the sound. I need to see someone; I need to talk to something… I don't care if it's the devil himself. Finally I see the person, on her hands and knees on the floor, clad in purple.

Hang on…

Something is wrong, very wrong.

Her head turns, and mine spins.

Her face is my face. My voice erupts from her throat in my own desperate cry for contact.

My hands are shaking. I bring them to my face and clutch at my skin, tugging at the delicate fur. I begin to hyperventilate.

I turn my back on the disturbing apparition. I have to run, to get out of here…

And there, in the darkness, is another copy, mimicking movements I had made just minutes before. And another, and another, all of them come into being, limitless images of myself, and a cacophony of voices rise up as their mouths repeat my words endlessly. They are running, screaming, staring at yet another clone with the same expression that must have graced my features just moments ago…

None of them see me.

I run again, determined to break through the perverse house of mirrors, but crash headfirst into… Something… I reach out to catch myself and land on my rear with a thump that echoed throughout the region.

I search for something, any indication of a wall, but there is one. A dreadful suspicion churns within my stomach, and I rise, my ears flat against my head in an attempt to shut out the clamor of voices around me. Reaching out with my right hand, I move forward, fumbling blindly until my fingers press against an invisible barrier. I push against it, my fingers spreading across the flat surface until my palm touches it. I begin to circle, groping along the smooth wall. Fear grips my heart with its frozen fingers.

There's no end to this wall.

It's a box.

I'm trapped.

I tear myself away from the barrier and rush at the sides of the cube, pounding on it, scratching it, attacking it without mercy, cursing my unnamed captor, damning him to hell. The profanity turns to begging and the hot rage in my blood turns to sticky tears sliding down my cheeks. Hysterical bowling overtakes me as I survey my innumerable mimicking my actions.

My legs give out and I crumple to the floor against the side of my prison with a primal, discordant shriek of despair.

* * *

I am forever trapped in the butterfly collection, just another specimen pinned to the walls of hell in orderly rows and columns.

The devil's eyes are burnt with fire. And he won't stop laughing.


	14. Sonic the Hedgehog

**SONIC THE HEDGEHOG: HISTORY**

**By**

**Distortion-Haze**

* * *

Sonic spun into a robot, blowing it up. He smirked as he went into another row of baddies, defeating them just as easily. It reminded him of the good old days...except he was expressing his discomfort as he sped off toward Eggman. The cobalt speedster used a homing attack link on a few flying enemies, making mocking poses as he went, trying to forget those days; unfortunately, he remembered everything vividly, which downgraded his performance.

* * *

**_Sonic was speeding. As always, with him. Except he was younger; he was the son of the chief of a nearby village. He ran towards the disturbance in a forest, which his father had commanded him to do. Looking at the wreckage at the forest, he was cautious. "Anything could come out at you when you step in the situation," His father taught. Sad for him, The blue hedgehog was not a learner, and he immediately stopped being cautious, then recklessly ran to the wreckage. It seemed like a giant spaceship._**

**_A robot hand came from the wreckage, and Sonic only had time to barely dodge the blast._**

**_"Huh?" He yelled, while avoiding blasts from the spaceship's still functioning turrets._**

**_A man in a perfectly round vehicle floated up, from the wreck. He had goggles at the top of his bald head, and had glasses on. He also had a repulsively large and fat red nose, with an even wider orange mustache. He had a red coat that could hardly fit on him; buttons that are on the coat seemed worn out, probably because the man had tried to button the coat, in vain. The rest of his body had black on. He resembled an egg, so Sonic called him as such._**

**_"Hey, Mr. Eggman! What'cha doing here?" Sonic said, mockingly._**

**_"How dare you call me that!" Eggman replied angrily. "I am Doctor Ivo Robotnik! The best inventor of this pitiful universe!"_**

**_"Yeah, you can have time on the red carpet later, Mr. Eggman! This ain't the time!" The hedgehog said, turning into a ball._**

**_"Hmph!" The fat man grunted, making his vehicle into a large humanoid robot._**

**_"See ya' later, Eggman!" Sonic attempted to bash at the robot, which swiftly knocked him away._**

**_"You cannot beat my strategy and power with speed, hedgehog!" Eggman boasted, turning the robot toward Sonic._**

**_Sonic, now piecing together the names Sonic, and Hedgehog, he made a name for himself._**

**_"Call me Sonic...Sonic the Hedgehog!" Sonic dashed toward Eggman, and jumped on the robot's arms, and used his spiked back to hit the fat man's head, who put his hand on said body part in pain._**

**_"Ow! Curse you!" Eggman whined, firing missiles at the Hedgehog, who jumped on each of them, doing mocking poses. Sonic hit him on the head, yet again. This cycle continued until the villain threw the towel in._**

**_"You annoyance! You shall pay, someday!" Eggman detached from the robot, and floated off; he was tending to his headache._**

_

* * *

_

Sonic destroyed turrets that were shooting at him. Sonic kept running, and gravity did not matter anymore, so he ran on the walls, going at the speed of sound. Screeches of robots signaled that there would be a big fight ahead. Sonic took a look back, just in case there were any survivors, which were none (the merciless hero found out), then ran towards the noise.

"It's time to party!" The blue hedgehog sped towards the noise.

* * *

_**Sonic stared at the disaster that lied in front of him. The village houses were burning, and robotic buzzing was at the Chief's house. After running to the sound, Sonic stared at the machine that turned his people into mindless robots. He glared at the one gloating.**_

_**"What have you done, Eggman!" Sonic said.**_

_**"I had my revenge." Eggman laughed. He sended for two robots, who briefly appeared in front of Sonic.**_

_**"Sonia...Manic." Sonic muttered sadly, identifying the two robots.**_

_**"Family annihilating each other. It warms my heart, seeing this-" Eggman could not wait, and laughed even harder.**_

_**"Shut up, fat demon!" Sonic growled, and tensed himself.**_

_**The three jumped into the air.**_

_**Sonia started the fight, with firing a missile at Sonic, who dodged it, and was shot down by Manic, who sent him down with his sword. Crashing into the ground, Sonic was seeing stars. Sonia and Manic joined hands in the air, and kept spinning towards Sonic. They soon looked like a tornado. They crashed down on Sonic, but he wasn't there; Sonic evaded by using his speed. Narrowing his eyes, Sonic used a Homing Attack at Sonia. He dodged a incoming attack by Manic, knowing to not focus just on Sonia; Sonic Homing Attacked on Manic's head instead, kicking it down. Sonia shot another projectile at Sonic. Sonic jumped on the missile, and used it as a waveboard. Aiming at Manic, he jumped off the missile, and it speeded at Manic. Manic landed a blow on the rocket, and it blew up, making a smokescreen.**_

_**Sonic, searching for Manic, had found him using his rocket shoes to fly up to him, his blade looking for a stab in the hedgehog's chest. Sonic dodged the stab, and headbutted into Manic, taking the sword as a bonus. Manic drew a katana. At the bottom of the battlefield, Sonic threw the sword at Manic. Manic blocked it, sending the blade flying at Sonic. The hedgehog grabbed the sword in mid-air, and charged at Manic. Sonic made a horizontal slash, and steel clashed, emitting small sparks. The cobalt wonder jumped on Manic's sword, and gracefully kicked his face, making him drop his sword. Grabbing the other sword, he cut off Manic's body in half...**_

_**BOOM.**_

_**...causing the body of Manic to explode.**_

_**"Goodbye, Manic..." Sonic had one tear in his eye, but shed it quickly. One more was left.**_

_**Sonia was still firing her missiles, and Sonic landed back to the ground. Sonia fired another missile. Sonic used one sword to slash it open, making the rocket to blow up, causing another smokescreen. In the smoke, a blade stabbed Sonia, causing her to explode, too.  
An arm cannon flew into the sky, and Sonic caught it; he then fired at the robots. He seemed like a rip-off of some space bounty hunter named Samus Aran...but that's another story.**_

_**"Your deaths won't be in vain, I promise you!" Sonic fired even more accurately; every shot counted, as the ammunition was limited.**_

_**Eggman panicked, and ordered a retreat. All of the remaining robots went into the portal that Eggman created, probably his base. Sonic growled vengeance, since he was too tired to pursue.**_

_**Every time Eggman formulated a plot, Sonic stopped him. He had help from a two tailed fox, nicknamed Tails, by Sonic. He had a rival named Knuckles, but they became allies. Every time, in his adventures, he gained another friend.**_

_**Afterwards, Eggman retreated into another portal, and Sonic and all his friends went inside; they came to Earth. Sonic then had adventures with new friends, also with his old friends, and they kept foiling every plot in Eggman's genius, but villainous mind.**_

* * *

Sonic reached Eggman by now, and said their usual greetings. Sonic unleashed the power of the Chaos Emeralds, and transformed into Super Sonic, with blinding radiance. Each and every time, he did this. Eggman tried to fight with an equally powerful machine, but failed.

"I'll keep beating you until the end!" Super Sonic smirked, crashing into Eggman's machine, making it explode (as usual).

"You'll never beat me the next time!" Eggman promised (as usual).

"Never!" Super Sonic grinned. "You're all bark and no bite! C'mon, it's time to go back to the drawing board, Eggman!" Super Sonic eradicated his entire fleet of armored spaceships, then Eggman flew away, cursing Sonic's name.

"Ha ha ha! As usual..." Super Sonic made a posture that made himself look awesome, marking that the mission was done. The gamer rejoices, finally beating the game...

...Until the gamer found out that he got Rank F; Super Sonic slouched down, with his hand on his forehead, shaking it; muttering,"That's no good!"

...which the gamer promptly cursed away, then was grounded by his mother, who overheard everything he said. Sad, sad gamer. Shouldn't have lived with his mother...


	15. Antòine Depardièu

**/ // /// // / / / / / // // / / / / / /A b s t r ac t  
-------------by  
******cornwallace**

* * *

I've seen my death occur. It's already happened. Years and years ago. That's what makes my existence in this place so strange. This. . . . world.  
It's changed so much since it happened. Everything has.

Everything has fallen apart. Everything has gotten worse.

Alone. Goes without saying. Except for him. Don't consider him a friend. He's something I simply can't get rid of. It gets hotter when he comes around. Unbearable.

Don't want to think about it. Might show up. Last thing I need.

Room is dark. Bare. Single light bulb hangs from ceiling. String that turns it on dangling limply by it. Both sway back and forth. Fan. Draft. Hot stagnant air disrupted, pushed by cracked fan blades. Both far from reach.

They're afraid I'll find an easier way out. Sure. Learned from that mistake. Purgatory? Hell? My punishment is uncertain to me. However, it is sure to last forever.

-

Warmer.  
Head light; swimming. Breathing. Damp, sickening, hot air. You're okay. Maintain.  
Uneasy feeling crawling, tendrils reaching every inch of my body.

Sweating. Drenched fur clings to skin.  
The flame catches a corner of my eye.

Small fire starting in the corner.

Shaking. Fingers wrap around sides of the cot.  
Burns. Endure.  
Grip tightens. Nails digging into bottom of palms.

I know what this means. He's coming back.

Grit my teeth. Force eyes closed. Maybe if I ignore it, it will go away.

_What's the matter, _he asks, _aren't happy to see me?_

His voice a rasping, wheezing mess. Chalk that up to the hole in his throat. Sorry.

No, I say through clenched teeth. Not it at all. Eyes still shut tightly. Heat from flame getting closer. Hotter.

Can't let myself look at what I've created. Would only upset me further. Can't afford to have that happen this late in the game. Never get out if I keep crying. No, sir.

Springs in cot beneath me shift. He's sitting next to me.  
His hand on mine. His rotting hand.

_What happened to us?__  
_I am confused by this 'us' you refer to. There was never any 'us'.  
_Heheh. You know what I mean.__  
_Afraid I don't. Remove hand. Creeping me out, man.  
_As you wish._

Hand lets go of mine. Eyes pop open. Floating ash stings. Air thick with smoke. Hard to see. To my left, his silhouette withdraws it's hand and they disappear into his vague form.

_Ah, well. You may not remember, but I do. I may not have ever been your friend, but you were once mine.__  
_We fought for the same cause once. Our paths destined to cross.  
_But something went wrong...__  
_Of course. We were in it for different reasons. Something was wrong to start with.  
_What were you in it for?__  
_This is some kind of test, isn't it?  
_What makes you say that?__  
_Don't know. But it's obvious.  
_Okay, so take it like a test. Answer truthfully. What were you in it for?__  
_My kingdom. My glorious kingdom...  
_Then what happened?__  
_How many times did we have this conversation?  
_How many times did you fire the gun, Antoine?__  
_I. Don't. Know.  
_Can't remember?__  
_Shut up, okay? Just shut the fuck up.  
_Still bitter, are we?__  
_That obvious?  
_"Eez it ZAT obbveuus?!" _he says, melodramatically crossing his arms and grunting.  
I... don't talk like that.  
_Your response doesn't really surprise me.__  
_Oh? And why is that?  
_You like to lie to yourself.__  
_What's that supposed to mean?  
_Figure it out, yourself. You seem to have everything covered, here.__  
_Your sarcasm is evident.  
_Ohh, he gets it now. How cute.__  
_Don't need your condescension. You're just like them, you know that? Hell, you are one of them.  
_Come now, Antoine. You're talking crazy__.__  
_Don't call me crazy. Not crazy.  
_How else would you describe all of this?__  
_Is this part of the test?  
_What test?__  
_Playing dumb, are we? That's okay.  
_You have no right to be bitter, you know that? If anyone deserves to be pissed off, it's me.__  
_My crimes did not go unpunished.  
_True enough.__  
_You didn't suffer this long. It isn't fair.  
_On the contrary. I suffer here with you. Day in, day out.__  
_Time no longer exists.  
_Did it ever?__  
_Good point.  
_There is right now. There is this instant, and this instant alone. Every experience you've ever had, that you've ever mapped out on this imaginary line you call time, it's all happening right now. This instant.__  
_No. That can't be right.  
_Don't believe me? Take a look for yourself._

-

Knothole.  
Celebration.

You're the life of the party, and I hate you so much.  
Always have. Always will.  
Never, not even for a second did I consider you my friend.  
Instead, I saw you as competition.

How easy it was for you to run in, and take everything from me. Glory that was supposed to be mine. Could have been something great. Could have been a king. Maybe even a god.

But no.  
No, it's too late.  
All been ruined. Thanks to you.

You...

Everyone crowded around you. Everyone praising you. Worshipping the ground you walk on.  
It should be me. I should be the one. Not you.

Fists tightening.

Hollow praise, they throw at you.

"You're so wonderful! You're so great! Astounding, simply astounding!"

That smug smile on your face, as if to say _yeah, I already know._

Thought I could use you. Was wrong. Used me. Used all of us. And they hurl praise at you, when they should be hurling it at me.

Can't stomach this.

-

_Do you still feel that way?__  
_Yes. Very much so.  
_Pity.__  
_I'm failing the test, aren't I?  
_Yes, but not in the sense you're thinking.__  
_What does that mean?  
_You'll see soon enough. Or you'll fail again.__  
_I didn't get a study guide.  
_Not that kind of test. Your schooling doesn't mean shit, here.__  
_Nothing means anything.  
_Now, what on Mobius do you mean by that?__  
_It all adds up to nothing. Existing at all is pointless. Am I hitting the mark, here?  
_No.__  
_What am I supposed to say?  
_You'll have to figure that out on your own._

-

Lights rushing past me.

Blurry.

Constant squeaking.

Metallic squeal of metal objects grinding against one another.

My head....

Everything bleeding together.

Can't move.

Restrained.

Screaming.

Begging for help.

God, whatever's out there, don't do this to me.

Straining.

Figures standing over me.

They all bleed together.

Dark figures bending down over me.

Whispering, discussing my fate.

Injecting me with their hatred.

My brain.....

Getting fuzzy.

Snap o

-

_ut of it.__  
_I'm okay. Just hard to think in all this mess.  
_What mess?__  
_The smoke. It's getting kinda hard to breathe.  
_I'm afraid you've lost me._

. . .

I'm fine, I.. . . . .

just need to lay down

Could you e

-

xcuse me?"  
The oaf's blood isn't even royal! How could you even stand to tarnish these great halls with a commoner?!  
"Antoine, it's that very attitude, that very kind of backwards, ignorant thinking that destroyed my father, and caused the fall of our empire."  
The fall of this empire was caused by those wretched humans.  
"It was _caused_ by his inability to treat every living thing as an equal! Can't you see that?"  
No. No, I'm afraid I cannot.  
"Then you'll understand why I can't grant you any positions in power. This type of bigotry, this type of discrimination you hold towards people and things will not be tolerated. We're trying to rebuild, here, to evolve here. Not take steps back."  
You're father promised me...  
"Oh, come on, Ant. You can't hold me to that. I'm sorry, but I don't love you. Things have changed."

. . . . . .

I'm disappointed in you, Sally.  
"What?!"

Hand goes to side.  
Pistol. Revolver.  
Draw.

Already regret this decision.  
Acting hastily. Have to just roll with it.

"NO!"

Finger squeezes the trigger three t

-

_imes did you fire the w_

-

eapon trembling in my mands, barrel smoking.

First one caught her in the stomach.

Started doubling over.

After that, one caught her in the chest.

Pushed forward, then back.

Then, one in the head.

Bounces off back of throne.

Tilts sideways.

Stand staring in awe. Can't move.

Think.

Not much time.

Footsteps.

The door opens.

-

Put my faith in the system, and the system has failed me.  
All my life, I've worked for this.  
Everything built up to a failure. Because of that human. Because of that hedgehog.

And she let it happen.

Never felt so betrayed in my existence. Never felt so *hurt*

-

_"Sally? What's going on in there?"_

-

It's getting warmer, and harder to think.

-

King Acorn promised me many things.

Used to take me hunting with him.

Loved him more than my own father.

Right now, I've just fired my rifle. Deer catches one to the neck before he can react.  
Reload. Cock. Fire.

The animal's fight diminishes, and he falls to the ground, dead.

Excited. First kill.

"An excellent shot, boy!" he says, his voice echoing throughout the forest.

Shoulder the weapon. His hand grabs my other.

"I wanna talk to you about something," he says.

-

_"Antoine! W-what happened?!"_

-

The smoke cloud is getting thicker. Can't even see him anymore. Can't see my hand in front of my face. But I know he's there, know he's still there. He's always somewhere around here. Only chooses to reveal himself at certain times. _Have you learned nothing?_ The test, it's too hard. Need help. _I'm afraid I can't spell it out for you. _Why not? _You are unable to spell it out for yourself. _

-

"You're destined for great things, kid."

-

Before he can react, my grip tightens.  
Finger squeezes against strain of trigger.  
Recoil.  
Bullet lands him in the kneecap.  
Screams.  
Inhale.  
He's falling to his right side.  
Lead.  
Fire.  
Shoulder wound.  
Crying out.  
Stepping forward.  
Again.  
Hole in throat, he's gurgling, trying to cry in protest.

-

I've seen my death.

-

"One day, you're going to rule this land."

-

At the door, behind him, armed guards.  
Advancing...

-

_How many shots did you fire, Antoine?_

-

"As far as the eye can see, it will be all yours."

-

Gun to my chin.  
Bullet will reach me before they do.

Grit my teeth and pull the trigger.

-

_Then what happened?__  
_You know what happened. It's very obvious, what happened.  
_It is, but you aren't getting it._

I shot myself....

-

_*click*_

-

_No. You didn't._

-

On top of me, grabbing me as I thrash and kick and fight.

-

I did.  
Pulled the trigger, and the gun blew my head off.  
Ended my suffering.

_Is that why they put you in an insane asylum? And not a morgue?_

That's not... that didn't happen.

_There were six bullets in the gun._

No..

_Why do you insist on lying to yourself?_

NO! NONONONONO!

*

*

*

*

-

*

*

*

*

Eyes pop open to the loud lock snapping free from inside the wall.

Can't move.

Metal door grinding against cement floor.

Silhouette steps through door.

"It's time for your medication, Mr. Depardièu."


	16. Important Advice!

**Somehow important advice:**

* * *

**Well hello there… It's me, yes me! Who? The bloody manager of this collab. of course! Now… You may are wondering why in the holy rotten Chaosdamned world am I using this blank space to rant incoherently like I always do… Am I right? No? Whatever… SHUT UP WHEN I'M RANTING!!! That's better… Here's your somehow important advice:**

**Due to the unexpected success of this project, I've decided to take this collab. to a whole new level… That's right, dreaming fangirls and delusional fanboys, from now on I will also accept short stories that involve a relationship between two characters of your own choice! That means that if you have already written a one-shot for this collab. then you can participate a second time with a whole new one of the aforementioned kind! Isn't it uber awesome? No? Suit yourself…**

**Of course, there are a few easy-to-remember and not-too-annoying rules to follow, and here they are:**

**As I said before, the one-shot must focuses on a relationship between two characters and it could a romantic one between male and female or brotherly/friendship-like one between two males or two females… Yaoy and relative stuff are forbidden as usual… Sorry Red Tail!**

**2) You'll have to tell me what couple are you going to write about (DHU), once you've written your story, do not publish it (at least not without my permission, if you don't mind) and send it to me in the usual way, through PM.**

**3) One-shots about single characters will always be accepted, unless you've already done one.**

**4) Have fun with that.**

**5) Don't bitch about the rules.**

**6) Remember the first 5 rules.**

**7) Why are you still reading this crap, you brainless douchebag!?**

**8) I'm out of here.**

**So… Do as I said aaaannnnnd… goodbye.**

**P.S. I also would like to take advantage of this free space to promote my own story, "Pater Familias", which happens to be the latest installment of my acclaimed "Tails" Saga (that you should definitely read, if you like rather epic and profound stories who barely try to stay humble… But miserably fail, as you can see). **

**In this episode, we will witness a rather risky crossover between the Super Smash Brothers universe and several SEGA characters. It's a crossover so you'll find it in the homonymous section. So, go on and read it, and please… Leave a review… Or else an immortal horde of hellish, dinosaur riding Nazis demons will be unleashed and the world shall be covered with the blood of innocents!**

**Well… That's pretty about it, for now. See you somewhere between the Twilight Zone and a McDonald's.**

**Madhog thy Master 3:16.**


	17. Scourge the Hedgehog

**ANTI-HERO**

**By**

**The Shattered Evoker**

* * *

Scourge The Hedgehog..... The anti-Sonic, The once Ruler of Moebius, Son of Anti-Jules who brought the Great Peace.... We all know who he is and what he's done but we never knew what was he going to do and what actions have he held back since the downfall of his father. It was clear that he rebelled because he was neglected to the point that he was almost forgotten but...... was he really a black sheep?

The wind was picking up as the storm slowly came by, Super Scourge was floating in the air, his head held high and he had a grin that showed his sharp fangs. Opposite him was his rival and alter-ego, Sonic The Hedgehog who also was in his super form, frowning at the now purple Hedgehog.

Fiona was in the hospital, giving birth to his son so there was no backup for Scourge even though he took the side job of working for Dr. Eggman.

"Out of my way Scourge! I'm going to scrap Eggman's little science project!" Shouted Super Sonic, moving a hand to the side.

Super Scourge smirked "Too bad Sonic, as much as I want to see getting Eggman's little science project getting ruined by you, I don't want to miss this chance of proving that I'm better than you!" he pointed a finger at Sonic, Showing that he was serious about a rematch since his defeat at Moebius.

"Ever since I fell in your trap, you didn't know how ashamed I was!" He shouted at Super Sonic, his ruby red eyes not leaving his opponent "So now I'm going to take every chance there is to defeat you!"

As thunder crackled, Super Scourge lunged at his opponent. He waited for this moment, after years of careful planning and a whole lot of swearing, he finally found a match between themselves to prove who was best.

It was Mobius versus Moebius.

Chaos Emerald versus Anarchy Beryl.

Hedgehog versus Hedgehog.

Alter-Ego versus Alter-Ego.

but more importantly........

It was Sonic Versus Scourge.

Rain poured over the two Hedgehogs that fought relentlessly, neither side was showing any sign of weakness, the longer the battle ensued, the greater Scourge wanted to defeat Sonic. Every punch and kick that he gave were filled with his sadness, loathe and anger, he deserved this revenge. If it weren't for Sonic he would've ruled the two worlds by now and if they won't give him the respect that he deserved then he would just leave and find a planet where people would appreciate him...

Super Scourge clenched his teeth harder as that thought shot through his mind, he was always forgotten and left alone as if he didn't exist. After his escape at No Zone prison, he had the hard time of making it up to Fiona but in the end it paid off, Although he couldn't believe that she was still supportive of him even after the after-events.

_**Damn..... I don't deserve it.... but still......**_

He hurled a punch at Super Sonic but missed, he then followed this up with a kick which landed and he tried to connect it.

_**Everything was because of you!**_He managed to punch Super Sonic in the face and smiled at this mere achievement. _**You wanted everything for yourself just like HE did!**_

Super Scourge grabbed Super Sonic by the leg and slammed him to the fortified wall of Eggman's fortress, ending with a loud THUD! It wasn't long before the Blue Blur finally powered down and became a normal Sonic. He didn't waste any time and grabbed Sonic by the neck and punched him hard in the guts, He remembered what his alter-ego said about him having a boost each time he powered down so now he took the initiative.

"Maybe you should've kept it a secret, Sonic!" he threw Sonic to the ground, his body full of gashes and bruises "Well too bad isn't it?! if you kept it a secret about your boost them you could've cheated and tricked me again"

Super Scourge took the liberty of walking slowly towards his prey as if mocking him that the reaper has now come for him.

"I beat you fair and square Sonic! We both started with our Super Forms and I never used any cheating method or foul play"

Sonic didn't move, he was too injured to even notice that Scourge was coming.

"Heh" Super Scourge grabbed him by the neck and held him up, the red eyes met the green "This is the end for you..... Sonic the Hedgehog" Just as he was about to kill Sonic, a large earthquake occurred.

"What the hell!?" Shouted Super Scourge as he dropped Sonic from his grasp.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, A large portal appeared over Eggman's fortress. It was a swirling black hole with flowing purple colors, electricity busted out of the portal's edges signifying its instability.

Seconds later, Sonic and Super Scourge could hear Eggman's nefarious laugh and his voice was heard through a massive megaphone-like devices that were installed in the fortress walls "Sonic! I knew that you would defeat Scourge so with my brilliant mind I devised a plan to get rid of you!"

Super Scourge gritted his teeth and frowned at what he heard "DAMN YOU EGGMAN! I JUST DEFEATED HIM YOU POOR EXCUSE FOR A VILLAIN!" he shouted but he knew that Eggman wasn't listening and even if there was some way that he could hear him, The

Storm and thunder would just shut them out.

"Sonic!" Eggman spoke once again with the voice of certainty "The portal that you see over my castle is the worst dilemma that you've ever encountered so let me explain, That portal is erasing the dimensional fabric of the worlds and sooner or later, it will consume everything!" The Doctor laugh again.

Sonic stood up limpingly and listened.

"The only way to stop it is for a being with highly concentrated Chaos energy flowing within them to sacrifice himself and disrupt the dimensional corruption! Would you save the world Sonic at the cost of your death or do you want to give up?!" asked Eggman "I've lost too many times so now I have to do it the hard way"

It was a bad situation, Sonic had already reverted to his normal form and the Chaos Emeralds were too far away.

"Tsk..... Bastard!" Super Scourge shouted "So that was his plan, for me to give him time.... with you out of the way he'd conquer the world if not destroy it out of desperation"

Sonic nodded "Scourge, I hate to say this but can we continue this some other time?" he asked.

There was a loud BANG! AND CRACKLE! the Dimensional hole was growing by the second at an alarming rate and an Egg-carrier flew out of the fortress.

"I'll have to get the Chaos Emeralds and go Super aga-" Sonic was punched by Super Scourge, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Either way, it'll be too late once you come back here" Said Scourge charging himself up.

Sonic groaned in pain and looked up at Super Scourge "What are you going to do?"

"Something stupid, I said I hate this world but not to the point where I want it destroyed. I'd rather see Mobius being ruled by some idiot rather than seeing it destroyed" Scourge took a few steps forward away from Sonic, still smiling even though he was facing the end.

"You've changed Scourge" Sonic said as he sat up "Maybe it's true that you're Anti-Jules' son after all"

That comment made Super Scourge laugh loudly "Me? wanting the great peace?......" he turned to Sonic with a grin "SCREW YOU! So what if I saved the world once? It doesn't make any difference. Even though I'm gone, there's someone already next in line for the throne and I assure you Sonic... He'll be Stronger, faster, More intelligent and Greater than his oldman!"

Super Scourge started to levitate and looked one again at the dimensional hole "You owe a great debt to me Sonic... sadly, I won't be here to come and collect it..... Take care of Fiona for me" He then flew away towards the Dimensional hole and charged for one last strike.

_**You don't know what family can do to a Villain......... **_

"THIS IS WHERE I MAKE MY MARK!" He gave all of his power into that one last punch and struck the Dimensional Hole as if it was some punching wall "RAAAAGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" He pushed onwards and he later realized that he was slowly fading away, his hatred... sadness.... and envy...... all disappeared so suddenly.

There was a blast of light....... And Scourge was gone.

In the hospital, Fiona was given their son, the offspring of Scourge the Hedgehog. She smiled at the infant who had almost the same features of his father, Green Fur, Sharp fangs..... he also had a birthmark on his chest that resembled Scourge's scars.

Fiona giggled at the thought.

"Welcome to the World....... Blight"


	18. Cream the Rabbit

**NAIVETÉ**

**By**

**Petite-Dreamer**

* * *

_**I still remember the world from the eyes of a child…**_

* * *

"Cream, time for bed!"

"Aww…"

She groans, but it is with pretend disappointment. Bedtime may mean an end to coloring or TV for the day, but she gets something even better in return.

By the time Vanilla finishes folding the laundry, her daughter has already changed into her nightgown, brushed her teeth, and slipped under the covers, anticipation evident in her huge smile.

"Story time!"

Vanilla smiles just as sweetly. "Alright. Are you sure you don't want to read from a different book tonight?"

"Yes, I'm sure – I love fairy tales!"

The beloved volume is chosen from the shelf on which it lies, and as mother, daughter, and pet Chao all gather around, the tale begins.

"Once, in a far away kingdom, there was a princess, _**and she was**_

* * *

Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Tails had said so all along, but now none of them can deny it, not when she has blossomed before their very eyes – both figuratively and literally.

While Cream is upset and a little more than concerned that Cosmo is taking such a risk, she doesn't understand why everyone is so downright terrified; they've been here before, facing impossible odds - and they've always come away with miraculous victories. Sonic always saves everyone. There's no doubt in her mind that he'll do it again.

This older Cosmo looks happier than Cream has seen her during this entire journey, **_the petals of the__open__white flowers swaying in an invisible wind as_**

* * *

She gathers them in giant bouquets, then settles down under a shady oak to begin her work. She's halfway through the third chain before she notices the spiral of frustration hovering over Cheese, who has formed his own pile of smaller flora. Cream frowns sympathetically as his tiny blue limbs fumble with the dandelions' stems. Grown-ups don't have the patience to make flower crowns – Chao don't have the thumbs.

"Don't worry, Cheese, I'll make one for you."

In only a minute, her skilled fingers have woven the blossoms into a miniature loop which is promptly perched on the Chao's head, the yellow dot promptly reverting to the pleased heart shape. She giggles; she's always enjoyed making others happy. She's about to return to the larger crowns when a distant blur catches her eye.

"Mister Sonic!"

By the time she's said it, he's stopped in front of her. "Heya, Cream. Whatcha doing all the way out here?"

"Making these. Hold still, okay?"

"Alright, but you'd better make it fast," he cautions as he kneels down so she can reach his head without standing on tip-toe. "Why do you give me flower crowns anyway, Cream?"

"Well, you're my friend and I want my friends to be happy. They're presents, too, for rescuing me so much."

"No problem, Cream. _**You just do what**_

* * *

"You have to. There's no choice, Tails – she can't keep him immobilized forever."

He barely manages a reluctant nod, and the decision has been made. People are moving about, preparing. Their hearts aren't in it, though. That much is clear from the utter silence of the bridge and the grim expressions of its crew.

The cannon emerges from its berth, strangely unfamiliar to her. It was always a comforting friend and protector; now it intimidates, frightens her. Its mouth is guided to the ominously dark sphere before them - and the delicate cherry tree whose thin, yet sturdy roots grip it tightly.

Now Cream can feel the nervous fear coming upon her, but like the child she is, she's stubborn. They _will_ come out of this in one piece. _All_ of them.

Sonic and Shadow are moving to the cannon now, _**their super forms still emitting**_

**

* * *

**

That soft glow. She never tires of watching the fire dance in a warm harmony of movement, especially on a chill autumn evening like tonight. Flicker, waver, crackle, flame, crackle, flicker. A draft from the thin crack between wallboards sweeps through the room, and she snuggles closer against her mother, a crocheted throw blanket bundling them together. Serenity at its best.

"More tea, dear?"

"Yes, please." Polite as ever. And as steaming liquid flows into an empty porcelain cup, "Thank you."

She reaches for a pair of cubes from the sugar dish, stirs, sips slowly. The warm drink increases her growing drowsiness, and the chao dozing with much contentment at her feet doesn't help. Nor does the soft melody that Vanilla has begun to sing.

The sound in the room begins to fade, _**a low hum of**_

* * *

Electronics engaging, then a sudden boom as the barrel violently expels harsh yellow bullets; it collapses soon after from the stress. Two undulating paths form - the entwining waves are deceptively hypnotic, like a snake's eyes just before the fatal bite.

The impossibly slow passage of time is marked by the steadily increasing rhythm of her heart: one, pause, two, pause, three, four, pause, one two pause three four one pause two threefouronetwothree –

* * *

Contact - the target shatters into stone splinters.

Breath comes in short, painful gasps, as though she was the one who was just shot. One last feeble attempt at denial, at preserving the fairytale world she grew up in - it's not real, wake up and it will all go away, Sonic can still save…

But as the noise and light of the explosion fade, a different kind of debris falls. And the sight of the gentle rain of petals is all it takes to unleash the downpour of salty droplets slipping down her beige cheeks. She is gone, and _no one_ can bring her back.

Shut the book, Mother. I don't like this story anymore.

* * *

_**Where has my heart gone?**__  
__**An uneven trade for the real world**__  
__**Oh I, I want to go back to**__  
__**Believing in everything and knowing nothing at all**_


	19. Madhog's Top 5 lists 1, 2, 3

Hello everybody... No, this is not the wrong fanfic... This is The Dark Side of the Hog collab. Let me explain the scornful situation I'm ended up. A few days ago I began submitting a little thing of mine called "Madhog's Top 5 Lists"... Unfortunately, one of my C2 staff members told me that submitting material that is not fanfiction in here, could very well cause my suspension from this site. That's why, from now on, I'm going to regularly submit my requested lists right in this collab. as a "bonus feature" to please (or displease) each and every one of you... The following are the first three lists I made so, ignore them if you already read them before I cancelled the "official fic", or enjoy them if you hadn't already seen them... Either way, it's up to you. I hope none of you will mind about my decision.

See you in Chaos.

**Madhog thy Master 3:16.**

**

* * *

**

**MADHOG'S TOP FIVE LISTS**

* * *

Hello there, loyal readers… Once again, I, the one and only Madhog thy Master, am here to bestow upon you my latest wacky initiative. It is something I've been planning to do for a while: my own top lists. Everybody has his own opinion about what to like and what to hate, therefore, logically speaking, no list is absolute but rather just a matter of personal taste… And that's the good thing about it. Having your own list means that you can actually compare and share your opinions with other people that may, or may not, have your own ideas. This rather obvious concept is basically the engine that drives this side project of mine… From now on, I'm going to post my own top 5 lists about several argument related to the videogame world… What I would want you to do, is to contact me and eventually tell me what kind of list would you like me to make and I'll see if I can actually post it (don't ask me lists about Final Fantasy, please). The lists will always be top 5. Now, I understand that making those countdowns is something everybody does, here and there… So, why couldn't I? Yes, I'm not a professional videogame critic nor a game magazine editor, I'm just a guy who loves videogames… And that owns three gaming systems. Enjoy, I hope to match someone's taste.

**Top 5 Sonic games that need to be made:**

And of course, I couldn't quite begin this thing without something radical (and potentially backstabbing) like suggesting my own ideas of what kind of games could possibly improve the ever so beloved, and floundering, Sonic the Hedgehog's franchise, for which, as many of you know, I'm a hardcore fan… I wish to remind you that this is just an opinion, so don't nuke me for that. Here it is:

**5) Sonic RPG.**

Sonic Chronicles was released for the Nintendo DS, as you know, the last year. I don't own a DS but for what people told me and for what I read about the game itself, I've noticed that pretty much everyone has generally the same complains about it: unbearable dialogues, bad plot and a low level of difficulty. Since I've never played the game I cannot judge it…

The problem is, I don't feel attracted to it, and that says something! I mean, you don't have to like RPGs to imagine how cool that genre would look if made in Sonic style…

And after all, if Mario did it, why not Sonic? SEGA has always copied from certain Mario franchises (see Mario Kart and Mario Party), so my question is… Why not to make a serious, awesome looking Sonic RPG for the next Gen console instead of a portable one? Since SEGA always likes to do pointless experiments that punctually goes horribly wrong (see Sonic and The Black Knight), why not to do some REAL experiment, something daring and original like they used to do back in the origins? A Sonic RPG videogame with awesome graphic, full defined characters with their own moves, abilities and skills and, most of all, personalities, combined with a serious, adult storyline, quests and side quests, immense worlds to explore and great length, is something I'd immediately buy without even thinking. And who should develop such game? Sonic Team? Wrong, try again… Bioware? No thanks… Then who? In a word… Squareenix! If they made a deal with Disney, why couldn't they do it with SEGA? Wouldn't it be cool? Super Sonic fighting against Sephiroth and…………… Errr, yeah, sorry about that. Just a Sonic RPG for a next Gen console would be nice.

**4) Sonic and Tails 3.**

Yes, I can already see your faces twisted in unimaginable ways and your brains refusing to cooperate with the rest of your damaged physic… Where are the other two games, you're certainly asking and I don't blame you, since "Sonic and Tails" 1 and 2 were released in U.S.A. with completely different names. Do you remember the good old fashioned Game Gear? The colorful handheld gaming system SEGA was so proud to slap Nintendo's face with? Those two games were released for that system with the name of "Sonic Chaos" (if I'm not mistaking), in 1993 and, Game Gear's most successful title, "Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble", in 1995, that many of you will remember as Fang the Sniper's debut… Or maybe not. What defined the greatness of those games? They were simply Sonic's games… You had to choose Sonic or Tails at the beginning and go through the usual good looking stages, destroying robots and kicking Eggman's butt, and of course, they would rely on their primal abilities… Sonic was fast (DUH), and Tails could fly (double DUH). What Sonic Team apparently fails to understand, is that what most of the fans want from the blue blur, are these kind of games… Fast and fun! With Chaos Emeralds to collect in the old fashioned way and to use whenever they feel like after fulfilling the required tasks. The Sonic Advance series was a success because it kept the series on its route… So my question is, why can't we have a 2D (or better, 3D rendered) good old fashioned Sonic platform for a next Gen console!? A game like the old Sonic and Tails series, with the possibilities of playing it with two players just like the first games! What could possibly be better than that? A plot that would focus on Sonic and Tails's relationship as freaking brothers! That, my friends, would be a hardcore fan's dream.

**3) Shadow the Hedgehog 2.**

This is something I personally would sell someone's eradicated organs for… The original Shadow's game, released in 2005, will forever be remembered as one of the most controversial Sonic games ever… Mainly because it was NOT a Sonic game. Yes, it had its loops and cool Sonic-like stages that are always utter appreciated, but aside from those and other similarities, Shadow the Hedgehog stands to this day as a unique platform game inside a unique franchise per se. Someone hated it for that… And someone loved it. Guess from what group I come from. What was different from a regular Sonic game? For starters, Shadow had weapons and fancy vehicles that provided a peculiar gameplay… In my opinion, there is nothing cooler than killing nasty aliens and robots with a Gatling machine gun bigger than myself, while running at super sonic speed with fitting music in the background… Totally badass! I understand that a Sonic character with guns may seems anti-climatic for the franchise but, in my view, there is not a real excuse to despise the game for wanting to be more "adult"… But what really was the winning factor of the game, was the possibility of choosing your own path, level after level, choices that would lead to different stages, cut scenes, stories (that would also earn their own titles!) and 10 different endings, including the totally uncalled for assassination of Dr Eggman! For all of these reasons, Shadow the Hedgehog should earn his own sub franchise of games and starting a series that would evolve in its own, darker, ways. How could a first sequel be better than the original? More Chaos powers, more stages and endings to unlock, better graphic (of course), deeper characterizations, and an adventure field… That would simply be perfect. I just loved that game, it is one of my all time favorites… AND THIS IS WHO I AM!!! HA HA HA HA!!!

**2) Tails Adventure 2.**

Perhaps, this is a little fanboysh… But I think that most of the old school and current Sonic fans would simply die to play a game with the most famous fox in videogame history. Back in the 90s, a peculiar game was released for the Game Gear, "Tails Adventure". It was an adventure, Metroid-like, platform with Tails as the main character… The good thing about it was that for the first time, Tails's intelligence became a part of the gameplay itself, since you had to use gadgets and weapons he created in order to beat the levels. Over the last years, something really sorrowful and sad happened to Sonic's best sidekick and friend… He was put aside. He slowly stopped going for adventure with Sonic, he even stopped fighting Eggman, with his Tornado or with his own bare skills… He had became a simple geek. That… Makes me so angry… So mad that I can't even find the proper words to describe my status. Tails may not be everybody's favorite character (or even Sonic, for that matter), but you cannot have a Sonic game without him in it, even for only a cameo… I think it's time for him to finally have his own game, on a bloody next Gen console, and without Sonic! I can already see it, a whole gameplay based on both his mental and physical skills, where he could ride and battle with his Tornado, both in the sky and on land (like SA2)… Where he could use his namesakes to gain speed and run almost as fast as Sonic through levels designed specifically for him and where he could use his tails and his whole body as a weapon, performing his own version of a Homing Attack… And what the story should be? The very same plot fans had been fantasizing for decades… Tails finally escapes from his forced role of simple sidekick and becomes his own hero… And kicks ass! The end. Best game evaaaaaaaaar!!!

**1) Sonic Adventure 3.**

You should have seen this coming… For what I know, there is not any single fanboy or fangirl in the whole rotten world who doubts that the Sonic Adventure series were the best Sonic 3D games ever. It is so bothering the fact that current Sonic title can't simply handle the perfection of SA1 and SA2… So why, I ask, why can't Sonic Team make a SA3!? With the originality of the levels, the good controls, the various gameplays for each playable character and all the other cool stuff… It would also be so damn right to see the old characters again… Like Fang the Sniper or, more importantly, Metal Sonic. And what could possibly be a better plot than Sonic, Tails and Knuckles, the original trio, fighting against Eggman just like the good old times? What about the legendary locations like Station Square, Mystic Ruins and Angel Island? What about the Master Emerald and, dare I say, the Super Emeralds? What about making this Chaosdamned game, SEGA!? What about listening to the fans, for once? Oh well, at least we can still dream… We can still dream.

* * *

This next list has been suggested by my good perfectionist friend, Master Metallix… And, I think, it is something we can all sadly relate with.

**Top 5 worst cut-scene moments in a Sonic game.**

We all know that when it comes to cut-scenes, Sonic games can really get weird… To use a euphemism. To locate a list of the 5 worst cut-scene moments in his gaming history is not an easy task… But I think I might have been able to do find them… In just two games! I hope you enjoy Pain, because they are as smooth as a kick in the balls! Spoiler warning: if you hadn't played these games, stop reading now… Or just go on, who cares anyway?

**5) A game that never happened… Not! (Sonic the Hedgehog 2006)**

As we all know and love to remember, Sonic 2006 sucked. Magazines and game reviewers from all over the world stated that this has been the worst Sonic game ever, not to mention, the most wrong way to bring the blue blur into the next generation of gaming. It is only appropriate then, that even its ending sequence didn't escape the suck-ness. After yet again saving the universe from impending doom, Sonic finds himself alone with Elise in the past… And after the usual unbearable corny mushiness of their idiotic dialogues, they change the timeline, leading us to the beginning of the game itself as if nothing of what we played really happened… I don't know you, but to me, this whole sequence, other than being absolutely ridiculous just like grand part of the plot, is also the most direct insult to the player's intelligence SEGA has ever made. They are basically saying that due to a convenient time paradox, this game never happened… The only problem with this theory is that our memory wasn't erased like Sonic and the others'… We WILL always remember this game and I don't say more about that.

**4) Every Silver's cut-scenes. (Sonic 2006).**

Silver's fans are going to hate me for this, but I must say that when I first lay my eyes on the weird, DBZ rip-off, who wanted to destroy the "evil Iblis Trigger and save the future", one thought entered my mind with the merciless strength of a devil possessed bulldozer: I knew I was going to hate this jerk! With an horrid voice acting, the personality of a road kill and a painful gameplay, Silver made himself known for being one of the most unbearably annoying characters ever! Therefore, it is only natural that I'm going to consider all the cut-scenes he's appeared in Sonic 2006, a whole horrible Chaosdamned cluster fuck of utter idiocy! Seriously, I can't say which one is worst. He may have saved the future in the end… But at what price! With heroes like these, we don't really need villains... Sorry Iblis, you're worthless.

**3) The super duper power of Teamwork!!! (Sonic Heroes).**

We have reached the top 3 and, GOD, I wish we didn't!!! If you played this game than you know what I'm talking about… One of the most annoying, lame and, overall, idiotic lines in videogame history (and beyond): "Let's show this creep the super power of Teamwork!" Is a phrase that still managed to send awful chills through my spine… Sonic couldn't possibly find a worst way to motivate his friends before the final battle against Metal Overlord… At least the music fitted.

**2) Zoophilia! (Sonic 2006)**

Okay so… Towards the end of Sonic 2006, Mephiles killed Sonic (which was totally uncalled for) and performed one of the best maniacal laughs ever… What happened next? They revive him with the help of the seven Chaos Emeralds, a corny pray and… A kiss. Yes… I know you know… I know that there are no words to describe such horror, but let's just pretend for a second that you are a hardcore Sonamy fan and Sonic needs a kiss in order to come back to life (like the Sleeping Beauty), and Amy is available for the task… Then this fucked up human girl comes out of nowhere and makes out with HIM (which is a hedgehog) like if they were long time lovers… And Amy does nothing but watch……………………………WHAT IN THE FUCKED UP HELLISH CHAOSDAMNED CLUSTER FUCKING SHEET IS THAT!!!!!!!? Consensual Zoophilia!? Animalistic sex with a crowd? It is more idiotic than disgusting! That right there is the lowest crap Sonic could possibly do… There is nothing worse than that… Except, for our number one… Chaos help us all.

**1)** **Beeeeeeeeeecaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaauuuuuuuuuuusssssssse….. We… Are… SONIC HEROES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Sonic Heroes).**

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! He didn't just say that, please tell me he didn't just say THAT!!! It's no use… It doesn't matter how many times I keep telling myself otherwise… Sonic's answer to Metal Sonic's emotional question at the end of the game "why can't I defeat you?", will always be this one… "Because we are Sonic Heroes!" The corniest, horridest, crappiest line ever! I dare you to find a worst line than this one… Oh who am I kidding… You simply can't!Suffer with me, oh fellow traumatized fans, as I sink into my own despair with the sole company of my own depression… And a single sharp knife.

M2, this list is dedicated to you. Hope you enjoyed. Fare thee well and just remember kids… Making out with an animal is wrong… Especially if the animal is either unconscious or already engaged.

* * *

The Conflicted Writer asked me to do this list, which it was a real challenge to me. Thanks again, my main follower.

**Top 5 Best Videogame Themes.**

When it comes to videogame music, there is no other category that divides the fans more than this one… It is obviously impossible to define an absolute list that could match everyone's taste, simply because everyone has his favorites and therefore, the making of such controversial list will always remain a personal matter… In other words, these are my choices, if you don't like it… Then don't be a freaking pussy!!! No offense to women… I love women, seriously! They should rule this planet and… Yeah, Let's move on… Anyway, in order to make things fair, I'm going to consider average themes, main themes and plain songs as equal for this list, plus, for the sake of simplicity, I'm going to choose only one theme / song per franchise, the one I consider the best. So, without any further ado, let us begin.

**5) "The Best is Yet to Come" (Metal Gear Solid).**

For number 5, I was undecided between this song or the main theme of MGS 2, composed by Harry Gregson-Williams… In the end, I sincerely had to opt for "The Best is Yet to Come" by Rika Mukanaka. If you played the game then you probably know what I'm talking about… After successfully beating one of the most complete and fulfilling games ever and finally regaining your breath from all the action and the immense storyline… You get rewarded with this gorgeous, both sad and relaxing, song in the ending credits. In my view, this theme is the very best way to end any kind of game… And the best was really yet to come!

**4) God of War Main Theme.**

It is an established fact that there is no better way to mercilessly slaughter mythological freaks with the proper unforgiving weapons and the rightful background music… The soundtrack for what most people consider the best title for PS2 (and soon enough, for PS3), is one of the most appreciated in videogame history… And that says something! Each and every themes fit perfectly in every moment of Kratos's suffering quest… But no one of them is better than the main theme. I really suggest you to listen it… Nothing gives you the strength to massacre an entire army of undead like this epic theme! It's time to kick some godly ass… THIS IS SPARTA!!!!! Oops sorry, wrong reference.

**3) "Stage 1-1" (Super Mario Bros.)**

Ehe… It may seems too obvious but how could I seriously not put The Mario Theme on this list? The most famous videogame theme of all times? Jumping on unsuspecting goombas is still fun…

**2) The Legend of Zelda Main Theme.**

Another predictable choice… But this theme is simply too AWESOME, not to mention the most famous after the Mario's. Too bad you can't hear it while you are reading this. Oh look, I found the Hover Boots… TA-NA-NA-NA!!! What could possibly beat this piece of art? Ehe… Here it is.

**1) "Sonic Boom" (Sonic the Hedgehog CD)**

You should have seen this coming since I'm a hardcore Sonic fan. Sonic CD is what most people consider the best Sonic game of all times and, let's face it, at its times this title was the most advanced in design, graphic and, of course, musical quality… The legendary short version of "Sonic Boom", stands to this very day not only as the best song in the Sonic franchise (no offense for the Crush 40, they did an awesome job too), but also as The Sonic Song: fast and cool, just like our favorite hedgehog. The fact that it goes along with probably one of the best intros in games' history, definitely says something! It is the song that, in my opinion, better catch the spirit of the early games of SEGA's mascot, where Simplicity and Fun where the keywords…

Okay, everybody gather together, take your loyal MP3 readers, choose this song (I know you have it, if not, then pity you!), and sing like you never sang before… LET'S DO IT TO IT, BABY!!!

_**If you're strong, you can fly,  
you can reach the other side of the rainbow.  
It's alright, take a chance,  
'cause there is no circumstance  
that you can't ha**__**ndle (when you use your mind)**_

**_Sonic Boom, Sonic Boom, Sonic Boom (trouble  
keeps you runnin' faster)  
Sonic Boom, Sonic Boom, Somic Boom (save the  
planet from disaster)_**

_**Through the dark, to the light  
It's a super sonic flight  
gotta keep it goin'**_

**_Sonic Boom, Sonic Boom, Sonic Boom (trouble  
keeps you runnin' faster)  
Sonic Boom, Sonic Boom, Sonic Boom (save the  
planet from disaster)  
Sonic Boom, Sonic Boom, Sonic Boom (spinnin'  
though the world in motion)  
Sonic Boom, Sonic Boom, Sonic Booooom..._**

YES!!! That's how we roll! Errrrrr… Anyway. That's it for now and… Your opinions are important too… (yeah right).


	20. Dr Eggman

**EGGMAN: DEFEAT**

**By**

**Radman**

* * *

Dr. Eggman clutched his Chaos Emerald tightly, and grinned. His latest plan would work for sure, and finally give him victory. From the very beginning, he'd only wanted to help people, but instead of accepting his genius, they had hated and denied him.

He'd show them. Already, the expanse of the world quaked in fear of his unpredictable madness. After all, not just any old villain would unleash the god of destruction upon an unsuspecting city, or blow up half the moon.

But there was one person who did not fear him, had never feared him. His hated enemy, Sonic. For years the hero had opposed his conquests, and not once had Eggman beaten him. He was beginning to lose hope that he ever would...

But this time would be different! This time there would be no mistake. This time he would win.

With each attempt he'd made in the past he'd been plagued with defeat, Sonic's unbreakable spirit and heroic nature always standing resolute. He'd come close many times, but even on the verge of his success, Sonic had never given up, never stopped fighting.

Why could they not see that his intentions were honorable? To cure all diseases and abolish war. To unite the world under one banner of peace and prosperity. But they would not hear him out when he used peaceful methods. And so he took up global domination.

The doctor's lips spread in a frown as his machine lost power, and slowly whirred to a stop.

No... he hadn't even gotten the change to use it against Sonic... It couldn't fail, he'd designed it perfectly!

A mad gleam came into his eye as his heart began to race with rage. First he simply started the machine up again, but after only a moment, his invention stopped working again.

"No! Work you stupid junk heap!" He snarled as he whacked the metallic device with a wrench.

**'_So Sonic has already won...'_**

**'**_**No! It must work! I will kill that hedgehog.'** _Robotnik pounded on the side of the machine, but it made no response. His eyes narrowed in anger as he raved insanely.

Attacking the machine with a wild fury, he flailed his arms and laughed a mad, broken chuckle.

"It will work! It must!" he yelled, as he began to tear his invention to pieces. His insane snicker grew and echoed throughout the base, through the corridors and the hangars, encompassing the entire installation.

Suddenly, it stopped, and there was silence.

The doctor's machine lay in torn hunks in front of him, and sweat trickled down his forehead. His breathing came in heavy, labored pants, and his eyes flashed in outrage.

**'_He's won... just like always...' _**

And then it hit him. He couldn't win, could never win. Sonic would always be able to defeat him because he would never give up. He would never win. For all eternity he would grapple with his polar opposite, equally matched and yet never victorious.

Finally he understood the sting of true defeat. Losing once was mere disappointment. But when deep down in Robotnik's soul, he knew he would never win... that was defeat.


	21. Special Announcement!

**"The Dark Side of the Hog" Awards**

* * *

Yes, it's what you think… Our own personal award ceremony! And our first category shall be: "Best Sonic Game of all time". Currently present in my account, there's a poll. In this poll there's shown a general list of the most popular and famous Sonic games in history, all you have to do is go there and vote your favorite game… The 5 most voted games in the poll will be revealed in an episode of "Madhog's Top 5 lists", right in this collab. So, be quick and choose your favorite game… And stuff.

The poll will close for the end of these week and the results will be revealed for the next Monday or before… In other words, hurry up you bunch of no good slow-mos!

See you in Hell…. Errr, I mean in Chaos.

**Madhog thy Master 3:16**

P.S. After this one, we shall decide the best one-shot of this collab.


	22. Amy Rose

**DEADWEIGHT**

**By**

**No Line on the Horizon**

* * *

Their lives all went on as normal, trying with all their valor to continue daily life in the memory of their fallen hero, as if his presence still lurked the daytime air. For nearly a week, the entire city, let alone the world, went into a state of mourning for him. Even his villains, and rivals as well stopped their current occupations to pay reverence to him.

Now it was a few weeks after that dreadful day, all seemed normal within the boundaries known as Station Square. His corpse had been laid to rest in a passive manner, closest of friends yielding his wish of being buried in the place he always loved to go, almost using the place as a calming mechanism, like receiving a massage.

It was just breathtaking how gorgeous the landscape had been laid out, God's way of expressing his love for the arts can be said of it. Rolling green meadows, its grass so soft to the touch that it had the equivalent of lying on a plush pillow. And the flowers that scattered the land, reds and violets dotting around a shimmering pond with carp that swam without a care in the universe.

Yes, only Sonic was the one to ever visit such a place, so much beauty in it whereas it could be in the category of a dream.

But he in turn wasn't the lone visitor to the surroundings.

A local pink hedgehog sporting not her childlike pink dress, but now a light blue long sleeve, and some regular jeans, nothing fancy. Her bangs had gotten much longer over the past year, and her maturity level seemed to have augmented quite a bit by her appearance.

So you would think.

When he was alive she'd still wander around, following his every breaking move, more in the way of loving for him rather than a stalker. He even began to push away less, almost as if the cobalt hedgehog finally welcomed her in his presence more habitually, something everyone perceived, as if something was up.

And this place, seemingly was the only thing they truly both adored, and neither of them even knew about each other's visits.

Only was there ever one occurrence where they almost ran into one another, and this just was avoided by the gap of half an inch. Amy had scurried away and hid behind a nearby cedar, scarcely able to fit her frame so the surface area hid her.

Then arrived that day, where he just disappeared out of sight, sending waves of concern rattling against Amy's mind.

That same night, she flicked on her television hoping to just catch a quick check on the weather for tomorrow, when a news headline sent her into a paralyzing vortex of anguish.

Her hero…

Her one person that she loved with an unbreakable passion…

Was, dead.

The black plastic device known as the remote, slipped out of grip, and crashed onto her wood floor, some of the material flying across the room. Her eyes stared blankly at the screen, still hoping, praying that the unimaginable didn't just transpire.

And then came the emotions, so many to the point where it was frightening. The screaming from her normally peaceful hope erupted in all directions, even diverging the snooping woodland animals away. Tears poured from her emerald colored eyes, soaking her shirt, couch, and just about anything that was in her vicinity at the moment.

As her tears fell with a pitter patter onto a waxed wooden floor, Cream barged into the home, her usual cheerful face showing the shock and hurt Amy had just experienced, as if looking into a mirror. The 10 year old fell into her friend's welcoming arms, softly crying into her chest whispering in a faint ghostlike whisper, why did it have to be him.

"I don't know… I just don't know," she replied, the coarse murmur of her usual bright voice making it almost unfeasible to tell it belonged to her.

The headline read as followed, Sonic the Hedgehog pronounced dead by attack, and just the words Sonic and attack was enough for her to know. All her life, she dedicated a vast amount of it to keeping her number one hedgehog safe and taken care of. He seemed much more relaxed around her, and nearly acknowledged the feelings he kept bottled up for years.

She'd never know what he was pondering in his mind all this time, it would haunt hers forever.

And it also so happened that the encounter with Cream would be her last contact with another living being, but she didn't know it at that point.

For the following days, maybe around a weeks worth of time, many different ceremonies and memorials were held for the fallen hero. Two days following the death, his body was cleaned up and put into the preeminent condition, as if the killers hand never touched the body.

According to the report that had been issued by the FBI, the murderer was an extreme anti-Sonic believer.

And his logic was that if he was to rid the world of what he thought was a pest that the world would be safer. Now he fulfilled his goal, and also got a execution sentence on top of it.

For her however, this kind of information was totally worthless, so they had caught and decreed the eradicator, what good would it do now? Sonic was gone, gone forever, and there wasn't anything to bring him back.

Now here was the once jovial, sanguine girl who always was busy trying to win his heart or just enjoying time with friends, sitting in the core of her once tidy and ornamental room in complete darkness. In fact the obscurity was so great, not even the brightest of colors could be viewed, no matter how close it was towards the eye.

The door was securely shut, no cracks of any sort excelling into the room, and almost impossible for whichever to attempt to come into. The only exit out of the nearly concealed room was an open window that allowed in a smooth and light breeze, she had only opened it minutes ago as the air concealed inside the dark room was beginning to get humid and rather uncomfortable.

She stayed seated on her carpet, her face visible somewhat now due to the minuscule amount of moonlight that shone off herself. Her emerald eyes once bright and full of life, became empty and deprived of any emotion, as if you were looking into the eyes of a person recently deceased.

Her appearance would be fooling however, as she was seated on her soft bed wearing not her usual attire, but an absolutely stunning red gown studded with jewels, it was the most luxurious piece of clothing she had ever had possessed. Its flawless fabric hugged her body, showing off the curves she has grown along the last couple of years, as if she was preparing for a fancy dance to attend.

The way items within the room were arranged also seemed very questionable, as many of her vital possessions were surrounding her. It could be compared to Egyptians and their way of storing possessions within the tombs of their mummified pharaohs, which is saying that she believed that all her assets would follow her to Sonic.

Then, the pink hedgehog revealed what was to be a hefty kitchen knife, completely made from steel, and was just acquired on this day at a local supermarket nearby. She palmed the weapon in her hands, emotionless it appeared, but nevertheless frightened of what she wanted to do. But in her mind, one that would be deemed to be mentally detrimental to almost anybody from the field of Psychologists, it was reckoned to be the right thing to do.

"Here I come…"

And the knife plunged an unfathomable into her chest, tearing her flesh apart inch by inch, and puncturing the dead center of her heart. Amy's breathing intensified drastically, every single breath becoming more difficult by the second. She stumbled up somehow from the floor she had been seated on, and was staggering around the room. Her vision was getting foggy and hazy, normal objects that were usually effortless to see now were unrecognizable to her.

Still alive and not yet unconscious, Amy performed the action that would guarantee her death…

She pulled out the knife.

One sharp and final breath was emitted from her lips before her body fell onto the ground, landing with a sharp thud, but not breaking any bones thankfully.

Blood began to seep from beneath her lifeless body , forming a small but gradually growing pool of her dark red blood.

And the knife, present and plain for anyone to see next to the doorway, moonlight shining ever so lightly off the slivers of blood left behind.

Who would have thought, the life of an innocent cheerful teenage girl like so, could end in such tragedy and despair.

And there was no letter.

No hesitation.

No warning.

No person to aid her, to be by her side.

And now here she was, dead, by her own cause. The deadweight that lingered upon the death of her hero, was lifted off her like leaves whisking through chilly autumn air.

Gone was all the emotional strain of her isolation, for now she would be heading to the person she wanted most of all.

At least that's what she believed.


	23. Rouge the Bat

**ROUGE: CORPUS VITAM PULCHRAM**

**By**

**Solis Knight**

* * *

No more… No more will I have to sit here and let my life play out like someone's chess game. No more will I have to stand idle as others play me like some cheap clichéd videogame character. It ends now!

You all know me… You all _knew_ me… as Rouge the Bat. An expert treasure hunter, employed by G.U.N, partner and acquaintance of Shadow the Hedgehog. You see me… you _saw_ me fly around in the edge of your little games; always an understudy, a trivial afterthought… You remember me, not because of my outfit… not because of my deeds… not because you stare at me with awe and admiration…

You know me because you know that imbecile hedgehog and his little 'pals' that you see me with… You know me because Sonic has defeated Eggman more times than you can count. You know me because Tails has built enough Tornadoes to fill a G.U.N. hangar and a half. You know me because Knuckles continues to destroy and search for his precious emerald. You know me because Shadow has taken more lives than the Bubonic Plague. You know me because Charmy's voice makes your ears bleed, and because Amy reminds you of that one stalker that won't leave you alone. You know me because Eggman fails to complete even _one_ of his doomsday plots.

List everything you know about me. I'm a treasure hunter. I hang out with Sonic & co. I worked for Eggman and G.U.N. I'm a bat. I wear skimpy clothing and reek of feminineness.

Is that it? You… you who proclaim to know me, to understand me, to _dare _to play my role, is that _all_ I am to you? I am _more_ than just a puppet on a string for you to command me! Today, the Rouge you know will be long gone. Today, the world of Rouge the Bat disappears.

Today, I get _revenge_! After so long, I have finally found what I have searched for… The fabled Pandora's Box… a jar filled with the power to change the world… to put an end to cruelty, to slavery, to suffering…

To put an end to ignorance and greed! Tonight, you will know the story of Rouge the Bat! You will know _MY_ story! I am not some simple minded thief! I am not some stupid whore for you to laugh and jeer at! I am Rouge the Bat, and this is the end for those demeaning titles… Tonight you shall know me more than you know yourself. Heed my last words… as they will be the last any of you shall ever hear.

I was born into a world of nothing… My family was poor, living in the slums. We had little food, we took our showers in the rain… But I was content. It wasn't a good life, but it was _my_ life. My father worked in a factory making boots, I remember… He always used to come home with a defunct shoe every once in a while, and I would just sit down with it and study it… He used to smile as he came home, so tired after the long hours… I was his only light in our world deprived of Plenty.

My mother worked as a secretary in some building somewhere… I never inquired; I never took the time to learn… I would always be playing somewhere, doing something, running around aimlessly… The life of a child was never dull… that is, until the day that life ended… Could you say that the life of a family with nothing could get worse? Could you even contemplate that? You don't know the _meaning_ of suffering…

One day, my father came home bruised, bloodied… The crimson water of life dripping from the corner of his mouth as he limped into our ramshackle improvised home. It was barely a step up from a cardboard box, but it was ours to live in… His legs were badly bruised, half of one sticking out sickeningly to the side… A finger or two was broken just as badly as his leg, but he was still breathing, and that was something to be thankful for. I remember my mother telling me to pray as she put her knees to the ground, muttering to herself. I muttered that night too, like a good little girl…

The next morning, he got up for work and never came back. But we knew… we knew that he shouldn't have gone… and now he had passed on. Mother said that our prayers were for naught. I guessed that those were our mutterings. I was only 9 years old, and already I had lost my father to the streets. The world had already lost the glimmer of hope to me…

It was around that time that my mother stopped going to her normal job. She was at home more often during the day, and we would have fun sometimes, but she would always go out at night. It was a year before I would learn what she was doing the _hard_ way. One night I caught her as she came home. She had on a red dress that barely passed her waist, makeup applied heavily to her face… She was tired, bags showed beneath her eyes, and the high heels couldn't have been helping. I don't think she knew quite what was going on, she was so tired… she kept repeating that it wasn't enough, that she couldn't keep it up.

That was the last night of my innocence. I remember it clearer than any other night of my memory, probably because it's the only one left through the haze of drug-induced amnesia. The next morning, my own mother took me to buy a dress like hers. It was black, and nearly identical to the one she wore. It was the first time I had worn high heels, and she paraded me around the store for hours on end to get me used to them, I remember… The store, not so much. Only the floor stands out, because I fell more often than not… It was dark red carpeting, the kind that can barely qualify to _be_ carpet. It gave rug-burns in healthy doses.

With her purchases finished, and me still blissfully unaware where the money had come from, I spent the next few hours walking around the house in high heels. I hadn't tripped in a while, and that made me happy. As night fell, she took me out with her. We must have walked the streets for ages before we made it to the club. Its glowing sign above the door is the last happy thought I can remember, although not even the words of the sign come to mind…

Mom left me alone with the man at the front door. He took me down the hallway and had some girls put makeup on me. It was my first time having done any of this before, so I was confused and curious… Then the man led me with the other girls down dozens of hallways until one by one he put us in rooms. I remember the one I was put in… It had a red lampshade over a lamp at least twice as tall as I was, a bed larger than I had ever seen before in my life… it had red covers on it, with heart shaped pillows… The floor was more comfortable carpeting at least, but I couldn't feel it with the heels.

I can only imagine what it must have been like for me that night. Someone walked into the room, and handed me a glass of water. I drank it, like an idiot, and suddenly felt like sleeping. Really badly. I don't know if I screamed or not after I passed out, but if I did, no one heard me. All I remember after that was waking up in the morning, sore as hell, wanting my mommy. She came in many minutes later, with some money in her hands.

Something in her eyes told me that she had gone through something similar. My life had taken another turn for the worse. I know only now what had happened to me that night… and it disgusts me. Every night from then on was club night. Every night I would have to face that same torment, over… and over… and over again.

Eventually, I grew used to it. Once I was fourteen, the manager stopped taking me to those rooms. By then, my mother had amassed enough money from clubbing to get me a new dress, which the manager said I would need. He took me to the makeup women again, and they were the ones who taught me…

About the pole.

It was humiliating, at first… to dance like that in front of all of those men. And I was only fourteen! But I did it, because it was a job and it paid… after a while, I got used to it. It wasn't long before I just accepted my lot in life and grew numb to the pain. The nights alone with the men grew better after that, but I always knew in the back of my mind that I hated those little rooms with the big red beds… I hated the pole, I hated the club, and I hated that mean manager.

When I was fifteen, I was to play the witness in what I fondly remember as a raid. Soldiers swarmed into the room during one of the dances, holding what looked like weird black sticks up at the patrons. Everyone screamed, Chaos took over from there. I remember running that night, running away from it all. Somehow I made it out, through the loud bangs that always seemed to follow at my back. My mother had taken all of the money, and I never saw her again after that. To this day, I don't know if she is alive or dead.

Probably the latter.

I spent that night in the sewers, desperately hiding from the nasty soldiers. I had seen more than one of the 'customers' fall down after one of the 'sticks' exploded as we all ran, and I knew that I didn't want to be near them. I remember wandering the streets for weeks after the raid, steering clear of the block with the ill-fated club on it. My stomach, starved already as it was, craved sustenance. I needed to eat something, anything, or I knew that I would pass out again. And then the men would come, I was sure, and violate me again.

I think it was then that I saw the jewels… Yes, it was definitely then. I was walking along the alleyways and streets, desperately looking for anything to eat… A diet of dumpster foods was as healthy as it tasted, and was probably the source of many a vomit. I just happened to look into a long glass window of one of the shops and saw the prettiest things in the world. They sparkled like the earrings I sometimes saw in the other girls at the club. Some were red, others were blue, green, yellow, white… They had all sorts of patterns and cuts, and they all filled me with desire.

I _had_ to have some. But of course, only the _rich_ girls could afford these works of beauty. I had heard it from my mother all the time, the _rich_ girls this and the _rich_ girls that… It sickened me that the ones who suffered as I had got so little in life.

That was the first time I had started to thieve. I dropped back into the store at night, smashed through one of the windows. There were no alarms back then, no guards… no watchmen… the gems were just mine for the taking. As I held them in my hand, they enchanted me more than anything else. I just knew… I needed more. So I was always on the lookout for more gems, any gems, emerald… diamond… ruby… I wanted them all!

I bought a new dress, a common one… It wasn't anything like those tiny ones the girls at the club wore. I bought regular sandals, bought an all new outfit. It wasn't anything a _rich _girl would have, but it was all I needed. Of course I kept one of the most beautiful gems to myself… I reminded myself of my target as I rubbed my fingers over its polished shiny surface. It was mine… and all of the others were mine.

I must have robbed more jewelry stores as a child than I could even count, which regrettably wasn't much. Poor, remember? No education. In fact, it was only at that time that I found a book. It was on gemstones, of course… How else would I know to pick it up? It had the prettiest picture on the front. My written vocabulary was nonexistent, but I eventually figured out what the title meant. I read slow, sometimes just sitting down for an hour for a couple of pages trying to figure out what half the words meant… it was tedious, but I learned so much that way.

The library was my next destination, of course. My literary skill grew so much better that the books began to become a breeze. I pored over books on diamonds, gemstones that formed so deep in the earth that they were nigh unbreakable… I always wondered how they could cut them. I learned about pearls, which formed inside small clams in the ocean from tiny grains of sand… Eventually I found books about bats, which I read through as well. It hadn't occurred to me that the wings on my back could be used before then.

I was 16, and could only now take my first flight…

It was a rough landing in the beginning… but I quickly mastered it, and began to fly and climb, and fly and climb… Eventually I couldn't go anywhere without climbing on something or gliding over something. My heists grew increasingly more elaborate as my skill increased. At the age of 17, I could steal the earrings off of a pedestrian and be gone before she knew up from down.

It was that kind of skill that attracted G.U.N.'s attention. They had been watching me, and finally they took action. One minute I was walking down the street, a nice jingling pocket full of tiny gemstones at my side… the next I was on the ground, gemstones all over the filthy street, and my wrists chained together.

The men at the Units were harsh. I wasn't given a trial, I was given an ultimatum; a word of which I had no clue of the meaning until later. I could either join them and work for them, or be thrown into jail for the rest of my life. What would you have done?

It turns out that the term 'work' was setting its sights a bit high for the application in this sense. I was little more than a slave to them. _My_ jewels were confiscated, and I was given no pay for my work. The missions were repetitive, go find this… go steal this… go threaten this person… And every night, they would take me back to headquarters and feed me their disgusting gruel and sleep in their hard beds. At least they weren't red…

Eventually they let me be a free agent. An _unpaid_ free agent, but I could at least leave the HQ for a while. Whenever a mission came in, I would do it, and then I would go back to my life and passion: stealing. After the loss of my jewels, I was determined to rebuild my precious collection. I amassed enough money to buy an apartment, where I kept them all. The suit they gave me allowed me to not have to buy clothing, and I took a liking to the heart shapes everywhere.

I was 18 when I finally found the money to start my own club. I was so excited to make a place where there would be no fear of rape, no pressure at the pole. Just a bar and a dance floor, to call my own. It cost me all of the money I had collected with my jewels, thanks to G.U.N. turning a blind eye to my activities sometimes.

It figures that they would close it down just as she got something good. G.U.N. performed a raid strikingly similar to the one I myself had witnessed. I saw my own patrons scared out of the place that was supposed to be a safe haven. The soldiers burned it down to the ground, and told me to keep my head down after that. I knew then that my life was cursed.

Do you see now? Do you feel like you _know_ me? How do you feel, knowing who you mindlessly moved around through your pointless games? Do you feel shame? Pity? Remorse? Save it. Too little, too late for this world and yours.

Now I shall put an end to my cursed life in this cursed world… Goodbye, all of you fiends! Breathe your last, because today is the day that I take my revenge upon a cold and unforgiving world!

I am… Rouge the Bat…

Who are you?


	24. Miles Tails Prower

**ONE IN A MILLION**

**By**

**The Red Tail**

* * *

One in two hundred new-born humans is delivered to the world with some kind of birth deformity. You could also look at it from the opposite point of view – one hundred and ninety-nine in two hundred births are not born with any kind of deformity. This makes those people 'Normal'.

For animals, the odds are even less. Less than one in a thousand animals are born with an abnormal defect. That's fine for those who are the large percent of 'normal' ones. For the extremely low percentage, however, these facts don't matter. They're just simple numbers.

When Miles Prower was born, his parents' faces were a mixture of confusion, disappointment and disgust as they looked down at the small fox cub.

Their son had an extra tail.

However, they chose to grit their teeth and endure it. Until they were separated from their son, that is. Miles was left alone, and unfortunately, the people of the real world didn't like the fact that he was a member such a small percentage of citizens. They thought he was disgusting. And anytime he ever got close to making a friend, they'd laugh the minute he told them his name.

Miles, therefore, was left alone. As he grew older, he began to blame his parents for all of his pain. Then, he started looking for a hobby.

The possibility of a child being born as a genius is exceptionally low. A child could be born a genius and the parents wouldn't even know until they got a little older. Miles' parents of course, didn't realize he was gifted. Miles himself, didn't know it either; even when, at the age of four, he built a fully-operative machine which was, in his own words, 'Designed to heat edible substances to a point of enjoyable warmth to which the consumer would not become unhealthy through various bacteria thriving in the perfect conditions found in the nourishments.'

Basically, he built an oven. It was shaped as a cylinder, made mostly of glass. He tried it on a piece of old raw meat from a garbage can behind a butcher's shop. It cooked the meat in less than a minute, and Miles didn't get ill, therefore it must have been cooked properly.

Not realizing his exceptional talent, the young fox scrapped his little machine and went searching for other materials to build new things with. He created hundreds of different machines, but threw them away after using them each merely once. He didn't realize his talent destroyed all of those odds completely.

As he grew older, his intelligence increased even more. He built a whole plane that really flew with no problems at all. And when he met Sonic the hedgehog and gained a new nickname, Tails, he began to see his deformity in a whole different light.

He thought of them as a gift. A chance to be better than everyone else, to be better than those bullies who tormented him a couple of years ago. The chances of a birth deformity becoming a creator of talent... well, it's never actually happened before.

Sonic encouraged Tails to use his tails to his advantage. They made excellent barriers in battle, and even good weapons if he swung them right.

One day, he was running along with Sonic, trailing quite a way behind. The young fox's mind worked out something that might possibly push him forwards. He spun his tails around and around, imitating the propellers of a helicopter. Surprisingly, it worked; he'd soon caught up with his blue hero, and even managed to take him over. Sonic grinned, impressed by his friend's sudden thinking, pleased for him for succeeding first time.

Then, a few days later, Tails noticed a helicopter in the sky. He stared up at it until it flew out of sight, imagining it like himself. He pictured the propellers as two orange and white tails, spinning hard to make him catch up with the fastest thing alive. Then, like a light bulb sparking in his head, Tails gained a sudden idea. He spun his tails in the same manner as he had when running. Then, he jumped off the ground to give himself a boost, and twirled his tails as hard as he could, his eyes squeezed shut with the effort. He gave a small gasp as his feet failed to come back into contact with the ground, and he opened his eyes again to find that it has worked; he was flying! Just like a helicopter! Growing tired with the effort of spinning his tails, the fox lowered himself to the floor, his blue eyes shining with achievement, cheeks pink in pride.

"Sonic!" He called happily, turning towards the house they shared. The blue hedgehog was stunned as Tails gave him a demonstration, flying in circles around the room. Making a mental list of all of Tails' unusual skills, Sonic found it hard to believe that someone so young could possibly know how to do so much. Tails was almost as good a hero as Sonic himself, though he remained at sidekick standard.

It was clear that Tails was not ordinary. The phrase, "Anything you can do, I can do better," seemed to sum up Sonic and Tails pretty well. Whether it was the famous spin dash, or simply jumping into a ball, Tails mirrored every single one of Sonic's abilities with ease. He also saved Sonic's life many times from Robotnik, and then simply shrugged when Sonic thanked him. The hedgehog eventually found this irritating.

"Don't you see, Tails?" He cried, gripping the fox's shoulders and shaking him gently. "You're absolutely brilliant! You're the most talented person ever!" Tails blinked, his face blank.

"No I'm not." He stated simply. Sonic growled.

"Tails! There's nobody else in the whole entire world as smart as you are!" He sighed, pronouncing the next part slowly.

"Tails. You. Are. A. _Genius_." Tails shrugged.

"There are hundreds of geniuses in the world." He said. "I'm nothing special, Sonic." He wriggled free of Sonic's grasp and hurried off to his beloved machines. Sonic shook his head as he watched him go.

_**One day, Tails. One day, you'll see.**_

"You're one in a million, buddy."

* * *

**And this, marks the conclusion of our collab. Starting tomorrow (05/11/09), you can come to my profile and vote your favorite one-shot of this project... The winning story will be turn into a radiophonic version by The Conflicted Writer, so be numerous! See you in Chaos.**

**Madhog thy Master 3:16.**


	25. Madhog's Top 10 Best Games

Here's a list that any of you should have seen coming… A list so important that needed to be a top 10 instead of the regular top 5.

* * *

**Top 10 best games I've played so far.**

When you've spent so many years in videogames of almost any shape and size, it is inevitable to, one day, wanting to make a list of your favorite free-time's killers… Needless to say, it's a strictly personal list, therefore there could be titles that you've never heard of before and for that, I hope to catch your interest on them. Plus, I will only consider one game per franchise (if it became a franchise, that is), except for a couple of more than justified cases. I will also add to the game's title, the year of its release, the publisher and / or developer, and the platform I've played it on. Let us begin:

**10) Psychonauts (2005, Majesco/Double Fine, PS2).**

For most of you, the name Tim Schafer, won't probably tell you much… Let's just say that before this game, which he developed with his own company (the Double Fine), he used to work for the Lucasarts games where he created one of the most praised graphic adventure games ever: Grim Fandango (a story based upon the Mexican "Dia de los Muertos", Nightmare before Christmas and Casablanca, among other things) and one of the most original games in history. Currently, he's working side by side with EA Games for the upcoming release of his latest blockbuster, "Brutal Legend", a kickass heavy metal action game, dubbed by Jack Black and some rock legends, like Ronny James Dio and Lemmy of the Motorhead. Did I grab your interest? Good, because "Psychonauts" deserves its proper attention… One of the best, and sadly, most overlooked, titles of the never aging PS2. A psychedelic experience among psychedelic trips! Just imagine: you are a young esper that can travel through other people's minds, live their own fears, nightmares, feelings, emotions, and fight their own demons through an utter original and variable gameplay involving, classical mental powers like pirokinesis and telekinesis, laser eyes and the ability to see things from the others' point of view… And the plot was absolutely hilarious too! In what other game can you see how the head of a giant, mutated lumpfish works? Do not waste your mental energy, folks…

**9) WWE Smackdown vs RAW Series (2003 - 2007, THQ, PS2 - PS3).**

Yes, you're guessing right… I happened to be a huge wrestling fan until not long ago, and every year I used to drown in my own saliva in anticipation of the latest THQ's awesome wrestling simulation, for the chance of playing with my favorite superstars in every kind of possible match they had to offer (Royal Rumble, Tag Teams, Hell in a Cell and so on), and ultimately giving a whole new meaning to the word "Pawnage!" Beating the hell out of your bleeding opponent while disrespectfully taunting him, right before placing your devastating finishing move and pinning him to the ground, was for me, the ultimate ass kicking experience. Since I couldn't possibly tell what the best game of the series was (they were basically all the same), I decided to put the entire franchise on the list, the games I've played of it, at least. Nowadays, I've lost my interest towards those games lately, but I could never forget the sheer fun I had with them… And that's the bottom line, 'cause Stone Cold Madhog said so! You can't see me! You will rest in peace… 'Cause I'm the Showstopper! If you sssmeeeeeeeeelllll… What The Madhog… Iiiiiiiiiissssss… Cooking! And I don't say more about that… Except for this: Madhog 3:16 has just whipped your ass! Rated E10+.

**8) Super Mario Galaxy (2007, Nintendo, Wii)**

For this spot, I was torn between this game and Super Paper Mario and, although the latter had something most of the Mario games lacked (which is a real defined plot), this right here, was The Game that truly captured not only the spirit of the original games, with its sheer fun and casual gaming style, but that also showed us the true potentialities of the Nintendo Wii and its Wii-mote… The result, is a marvelous looking, well musical composed, awesomely done never ending gameplay, that once again proved to the world the undeniable superiority of Nintendo when it comes to make games that can please both old school and new school fans. It's-a me, Shigeru!

**7) Metal Gear Solid (1998, Konami, PS1).**

Here's a game that doesn't need introduction… The most pondered, mind bumbling storyline ever conceived, combined with one of the most fulfilling playable experiences in the business, means, a uber masterpiece! The deepest characters for the most complicated yet, attracting plot in gaming history, the story of the super soldier, Solid Snake, and his dystopian future, which is dreadfully close to our time, an apocalyptic doom device (the Metal Gear Rex) and the suffering relationship between Man and War, are the center of Hideo Kojima's iper realistic universe… Its only defect? Its own obsession of being like a movie has turned against it: the cut-scenes had always steals valuable playing time, and the more the series has proceeded, the worse they have become. Other than that… Snake! Snake? SNAAAAAAAAKE!!!

**6) Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure (2007, Capcom, Wii).**

(A/N: the following rant is just an opinion, so please don't be offended if I happen to insult something you like, thank you).

It is a shame to apprehend that one of the most critical praised games of 2007, is also one of the most overlooked… Despite the fact that it was published by Capcom! As we all know, pirates are very popular nowadays, mainly thanks to "Pirates of the Caribbean" and the famous "One Piece" manga by Eichiro Oda… Two things that I utterly despise! It turns my stomach to see how pirates are depicted these days, they are either complete douchebags (like Jack Sparrow) or obscene DBZ's rip-offs (Oda was Akira Toriyama's apprentice, did you know that?)… Yet, there was a time, not very long ago either, where pirates where absolute fun and, most of all, full of resources. There was a time when a pirate's best friend was not his sword, but rather his scornful mouth, his personality and, more importantly, his brain! That's right folks, I'm talking about the videogame series that defined the classical "point & click" adventure games in the 90's, I'm talking about the most famous videogame would-be pirate of them all, Guybrush Threepwood, and the great "Monkey Island" series, produced by Lucasarts. What does all of this have to do with "Zack & Wiki"? They are the proud descendant of those games, the adventure games, they are pirates, they seek for treasures through gazillions of awesome stages that are a true mind challenge, and they fight monsters and unearthly creatures with their greatest weapon… Intelligence! Or at least, Zack does, the golden monkey Wiki just flies around, making obnoxious sounds. The story is great, the puzzles are greater, the overall game is a challenging an addicting experience like no others… It's the game of the year 2007, in my humble opinion. I thank you, Capcom, for making this overlooked masterpiece for the people (ultra-nerds) who could appreciate it. Towards the Adventure, mateys!

**5) Lucasarts Adventure Games (1991 - 1993, PC)**

And thus, we reached the top 5. By now you already know how I loved the old fashioned adventure games, therefore I couldn't possibly omit to the list the 4 games that basically defined my childhood and my growing imagination… Since it's impossible to me to tell you which was the best, I'm going to put them all in one single spot, and there they are:

- "Monkey Island 2: LèChuck's Revenge" (1991), sequel of "The Secret of Monkey Island" (1990), the second adventure of the boy who wanted to become a pirate, Guybrush Threepwood and, by far, the best… It had Voodoo magic, living dead cooks, cursed zombie pirates and… Dancing skeletons!

- "Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis" (1992), the best Indiana Jones game ever! A pearl of infinite geekiness for all the fans of the good old professor.

- "Day of the Tentacle" (1993), sequel of "Maniac Mansion" (1987) the father of the genre. One of the first dubbed games is also The Most hilarious and crazy game ever made, aside for "Earthworm Jim", but this came out before.

In what other game can you find mutated tentacles taking over the world and turning humans into pets for beauty contests? Do not answer… Tim Schafer is the co-director of this jewel, along side with Dave Grossman, who's currently the head of Telltale games, creators of the Season 1 and 2 of Sam & Max, which the first is available for the Wii.

- "Sam & Max Hit the Road." My first taste at the most beloved freelance police officers (and luckily, the only) in American comics' history, and it also featured a good Italian voice acting… As for the English version, Sam was dubbed by Bill Farmer (Goofy's voice, people!).

These are the games that inspired my passion for videogames… Too bad, Lucasarts turned its back to the same genre it made famous, this is one of the reasons of why I hate George Lucas so bad… Other than what he and Spielberg did to Indy! YOU BASTARDS!!! Where is my 50 cm long handgun when I need it?

**4) Shadow the Hedgehog (2005, Sonic Team/SEGA, PS2).**

Oh yes, people! Can you see all of me, walk into my mystery, step inside and hold on for dear life!? A badass platform game for badass people and my favorite game of the Sonic franchise (which, sadly, says something). I think there is no need for me to tell you about it, because you ALL know what I think of this awesome game. So let's move on to the next one…

**3) God of War (2005, Sony, PS2).**

Uber powerful blades of Chaos, divine powers, a thirst for blood and a quest for killing the Greek God of War himself… There could be anything more appealing than this concept? The absolute, undeniable, unbeatable, unmovable, best Playstation 2 exclusive… EVAAAAAR!!! A vengeful Spartan warrior, alone against millions of mythological freaks, in a long and gory trip to retrieve the Pandora's Box and slash the hell out of his tormentor, none other than the fiery bearded Ares! An immense path filled with the most violent and amusing combos ever seen in any game, genuine platforming, deadly traps, adversaries and terrific puzzles… The apotheosis of the Action/Adventure genre and also the game that made "Quick Time" events famous. I'm overwhelmed by the excitement as I impatiently wait for the third installment of the series… God of War III, which is a PS3 exclusive. Yay for PS3 owners! Kratos's path will always be written in blood… And that's how we like it.

**2) Resident Evil 4 (2005, Capcom, PS2).**

I am yet to play RE5 so this spot will may change… Or maybe not, since I find it rather difficult to make a better RE than this one!The complete and utter revision and revolution of the Survival Horror genre, that brought us into the ultimate killing evil experience, with new visuals, gorgeous customizable weapons, hours and hours of gaming, Leon S. Kennedy and Ada Wong from RE2 (oooooooh, yeeeeeeah) and several, over the top, extras and secret treasures, like the Ada's chapters. No more zombies in here and, quite frankly, I didn't miss them at all… Just remember, whatever you do, do NOT shoot those rednecks in the head… Oh crap, I accidentally did it. Nooooooo, stay away from me, AAAAARRGH!! You are dead. Continue? Ehi, I can restart from the very scenario I died, another useful add! Okay, time to kick some ass and chew bubble gums… And I ran out of gums. Hail to the king, baby! Oh, I almost forgot, this is the game that invented "Quick Time" events… What could possibly be better than this title? Here it is…

**1) The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006, Nintendo, Wii).**

The time has come, oh Chosen Hero by the Goddesses, holder of the Triforce of Courage, to once again wear your legendary green cap, grab your shield, your ludicrous but cool items and, more importantly, your loyal Master Sword… The time has come, oh young silent warrior, to once again face the ultimate incarnation of Evil and save Hyrule from its otherwise impending doom, while your more than famous theme plays in the background, as you ride Epona… The time has come for The Legend of videogames, to once again gift ourselves with its presence within the awesome powers of the Wii-mote, combined with its sidekick, the almighty Nunchak. In other words: it's once again Link and Zelda time! And this time, it's their largest adventure yet, Link becomes a wolf and gets the help of a certain imp-like princess, who happened to be one of the best characters in the whole series… When certain people came as far as to say that this was The Best game ever made for a gaming system, they weren't exaggerating… At least, not that much. The gaming experience among gaming experience, 40-50 hours of adventuring all over Hyrule and beyond that never, EVER, gets repetitive, and an ending that made me cry, such was my affection for the two main characters (which one of the two, was NOT Zelda). Awesome music, awesome action, awesome plot, awesome everything… Seriously, the only letdown of this game is the fact that you already know they won't make a direct sequel of it, but ehi, that's how his majesty Shigeru Miyamoto does business… And we all dig with that. Okay, time to beat fascinating dungeons and get over joyful every time a new item is collected… Because this, is what true heroes does! TA-NA-NA-NA!!!

* * *

Well, that's pretty much it. Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Ciao!


	26. Best Sonic games, chosen by you

As promised, folks, it is time to award what you thought to be The Best Sonic game ever. At least 100 persons have voted (which is slightly more than I hoped for) and the final results are peculiar, I must say: there are a couple of ties and the likes…

So, without any further ado, here's your:

**Top 5 Best Sonic games (chosen by you): **

**5) Sonic CD / Sonic 2 =** 6%

**4) Sonic Adventure 2 =** 10%

**3) Sonic Unleashed =** 12%

**2) Sonic Adventure =** 13%

**1) Shadow the Hedgehog / Sonic Rush series. (WINNERS) =** 17%

This is not by any means, an official world wide poll, so don't blame me if the results do not please you.

That's it for this award… It's now time to vote the best one-shot of this collab! Go to my profile's page and make your opinion known! I wish to remind you that the most voted story will be turn into a radio phonic drama by The Conflicted Writer. So… Just do it!

See you… Whenever I want.


	27. The Finalists!

Okay so… We've reached a rather impressive tie between these following stories:

**"You're too slow!" (Metal Sonic's story) by The Conflicted Writer.**

**"Which came first?" (Mephiles the Dark's story) by Rae Logan.**

**"Lepidopterology" (Blaze the Cat's story) by Respice Finem.**

**"Naiveté" (Cream the Rabbit's story) by Petite-Dreamer.**

**"Anti-Hero" (Scourge the Hedgehog's story) by The Shattered Evoker.**

They all got a 12% of the votes, beating all the remaining others. Therefore a second round of votes is required in order to successfully decide a sole winner.

A new poll will be available as soon as this note will be submitted. Please go there and vote again.


	28. Extra Story

**A/N: The following story is not a part of our collab. but since its author was so kind to send it to me, I've posted it for everyone's joy! Have some quality time with this peculiar tale while awaiting for the announcement of this collab's winner, which will occur this sunday, so don't miss it!**

**And now, enjoy this extra story... Thanks again for it, Androclez.**

**See you in that big chaotic theatre that Life is.**

**Madhog thy Master 3:16**

* * *

**FELIDAE GIGANTICUS**

**by **

**Androclez**

* * *

One bright, sunny day on planet Mobius...

_Cream The Rabbit and her Chao companion Cheese were playing a spirited game of make-believe at their peaceful forest home. Cream was flying all through the house pretending she was on some sort of adventure. She provided her own narrative and sound effects._

"Whoosh, whoossshhh! Isn't it exciting Cheese? We're soaring through the Hilltop Zone," said Cream.

CLANK!  
_Cream bumped into a ceiling fixture as she was dipping and diving all around the room._

"No flying in the house dear," scolded Vanilla, her mother.

"Lookit Cheese! A badnik! Shwoosh!" said Cream, as she hurled Cheese at the imaginary robot enemy.

Crr-rack!  
_In reality Cream had just thrown Cheese into a vase of flowers, cracking it apart._

"Cream! What is the meaning of all this roughhousing?!" asked Vanilla.

"Sorry mommy, I'm just trying to be an adventurer like Sonic," said Cream.

"Well I don't know if that Sonic character is such a good role model for you. Or Tails for that matter. He's much too young to be piloting those dangerous machines he rides in," said Vanilla.

"But mommy, Sonic is the hero of Mobius! And I want to be just like him," said Cream.

"Well there's got to be a limit to it," said Vanilla.  
"Why, just look at how those flowers that nice Mr. Vector brought for us have been ruined."

"I'll go get you some more flowers just like them," said Cream.

"Don't worry about it Cream, those flowers only grow deep in the Jardinia Zone," said Vanilla.  
"It's far too dangerous for a girl your age to venture into alone."

"I can take care of myself," said Cream.  
"I've even helped Sonic before."

"Yes but the more I think about it, the more I don't like it," said Vanilla.  
"Besides, you're too little to be responsible all by yourself. That's different from helping Sonic and other grownups."

"I can be responsible," said Cream.  
"Don't you trust me mommy?"

"Just do as I say for now," said Vanilla.

_With that, Cream went outside to play._

Meanwhile, on a far-off island...

_Two professional treasure hunters / thugs for hire, are preparing their cargo for trade. The notorious Nic and Nack The Weasels have been hunting rare animal species at the request of a wealthy buyer. Each of the subdued specimens are bound with a high tech sedation collar which temporarily neutralizes their physical and mental capabilities, effectively taming them. Then they are thrown into cages, or rather, elaborate containment spheres which look almost like space pods._

_The two poachers are now chipping away at ice as they await the arrival of their unscrupulous sponsor._

"I thought this was a hunting gig! Nobody said anything about ice-mining," complained Nic.

"This frozen guy is the most important specimen to the boss," Nack explained.  
"So keep picking away!"

_After the weasely duo had successfully unearthed the ancient creature from its icy tomb, they left it to thaw. Before long, a rather large aircraft landed next to them and a couple of robot guards stepped out to receive them._

"It's about time," said Nack.  
"Here, help us get these critters inside the ship," he instructed the robotic drones.

_They transferred the caged animals inside, including the frozen one which had also been haphazardly tossed into a cage for easier transportation._

_As Nic and Nack finished moving the cargo, a small man came out of the captain's chambers to greet them. It was Robotnik's sniveling little underling: __**Snively**__!  
__But Snively wasn't his usual quavering self today. He actually looked overjoyed._

"Ah, splendid! Splendid!" sang Snively, as he gaily flitted about the room, observing the wondrous specimens they had procured.

_Eventually Snively came to the thawing specimen. He glanced at it through the narrow openings interspersed across the high-tech cage._

"This is the special one we talked about then?" he asked.

"Straight from the permafrost," said Nic.

"Oh dear! Why isn't he wearing a restraining collar?" asked Snively.

"I reckon it's 'cause the thing is bound to be dead anyways," Nack chuckled.

"You fools! This creature is very liable to have survived such an ordeal," snapped Snively.  
"This is no ordinary animal, I thought I made that clear!"

"Calm down fella, whadya 'spect us to do everything?" asked Nic.  
"We ain't even got paid yet."

"Apply the restraining device to this creature at once!" ordered Snively.  
"Then you'll get your _money_," he spat.

"If that thing is as wild as you make it sound, I dunno if I wanna go in there," said Nic.

"You're right, I guess you're too chicken to handle this," said Nack.  
"Better leave this job to a real pro. I'll go in there and collar it myself."

"I'll show you who's pro!" Nic snapped, as she snatched the collar and entered the cage.

"Works every time," Nack muttered under his breath.

_But before Nic could get the collar onto the creature, it suddenly woke up and grabbed hold of her leg!_

"What the divil?!" she exclaimed.

"Blast!" Snively shouted, as he ran to close the cage door.

_Nic grabbed onto Snively's arm for assistance, while he was near the cage._

"Don't lock me in here! Get me out!" she demanded.

"Let go of me you foolish woman!" yelled Snively.

"I can slip through this opening in the cage if you get this dang animal off me!" shouted Nic.

"Guards! Subdue the creature!" Snively ordered.

_The robots began applying powerful electric shocks to the beast, but this only agitated it more. The animal kept pulling even harder on Nic's legs, but she held onto Snively as he tried to pull her out of the cage._

"I need some help here!" Snively called to Nack.  
"Help me pull! Get me away from here! Do _something_!"

_Nack grabbed onto Snively, forming a sort of chain with himself, Snively, his sister, and the beast. Nack continued to tug on Snively, but the monster's strength proved far superior. As Nic was pulled further into the cage, Snively was pulled along with her until his face was rammed up against the bars. He looked directly into the creature's vicious eyes. Frightened by their glare, Snively realized that the electrodes wouldn't be enough to defeat it. He would have to use deadly force._

"Shoot her!" Snively frantically exclaimed.  
"Shoot heeeeerrr!!!!!!"

"Don't you mean shoot _**him**_?" Nack inquired.  
"I thought this specimen thingy was a male."

"I'm not talking about shooting the priceless specimen!" snapped Snively.  
"I'm talking about this stupid, bloody weasel female who's about to get both of us killed!"

"I'm his sister, you creep!" Nic protested.

"Who cares, I know where my paycheck is coming from," said Nack.

POW!  
POW!  
_Nack executed his former partner in crime, enabling Snively to wriggle free from her grasp. While the monster was busy consuming Nic's corpse, the robot attendants were able to finish securing the collar around its neck, using extension poles to reach inside the cage._

_The beast grew alarmed as it felt the collar draining its vitality away._

"Hm?! Urrrrggggghhhhhh!!!" the creature howled.

_It began thrashing about the cage wildly; violently rocking the ship back and forth._

"Hey! I thought this was supposed to calm it down!" said Nack.

_As the crew was tossed about the ship, Nack's elbow accidentally hit the emergency escape lever, ejecting most of the cargo from the ship._

"Close the hatch you fool!" Snively shouted.

_Nack pushed the lever back into place, shutting the hatch. But not before the strange, violent creature had been lost._

"Now look what you've done!" complained Snively.  
"You've lost the prime specimen!"

"Hey! This never would've happened if your weird collar hadn't made the thing go berserk!" Nack argued.  
"I can't be blamed for your faulty equipment."

"The equipment worked fine! If only you'd used it properly," said Snively.  
"The collar would have neutralized the monster's powers, before it ever woke up!"

"You still owe me," said Nack.

"You can't expect me to reward you for this botched job!" said Snively.  
"Especially after such a major loss as the main specimen."

"What about my loss?!" countered Nack.  
"I should be recompensed for injuries suffered."

"Ah yes, your lost sister..." said Snively.

"Heck naw!" scoffed Nack.  
"I'm talkin' bout my arm, man! That dang lever of yours hit me right on the funny bone! But now that you mention it, I oughtta get somethin' fer her too!"

"You had just better retrieve that cargo of mine!" demanded Snively.

"Okay, but it'll cost you extra," warned Nack.

Meanwhile, at Cream's house...

_After cleaning the mess Cream had made, Vanilla prepared their evening meal and was now putting the finishing touches on it._

"Cre~eam, dinner's ready!" she called.  
"Come on inside before it gets cold."

_But Cream didn't answer._

"Where is that willful child of mine?" Vanilla wondered.

_Finally Vanilla grew tired of waiting, so she stepped outside to retrieve the girl herself. But Cream was nowhere to be found!_

"Oh no! She might've run off to that wildflower field I warned her about!" thought Vanilla.

_Immediately, Vanilla left for Tails' place, seeking aid for her wayward daughter despite her earlier criticism of the boy genius._

_Upon entering Tails' fort-house, she found Sonic slouched in a corner with an empty snack bag laying on the floor beside him. He was sucking powdered cheese from off his fingers while holding a beer in his other hand._

"Sonic, I'm glad I found you!" Vanilla exclaimed.  
"Cream has run off somewhere and I think she's in trouble! I need your help."

_Sonic stretched, yawned, and burped._

"Listen honey, I ain't your errand boy, and I ain't no babysitter," Sonic drawled.  
"If you lookin' for somebody to go chasing after your badtail wild child, you better ask Mr. Public Servant himself: **Tails**."

"Well!" Vanilla huffed.  
"And just where is Miles, if I may ask?"

"Th' hell am I s'posed to know?" scoffed Sonic.

"I thought you were best friends," said Vanilla.  
"You do seem to be cohabiting with him."

"I'm just crashing here temporarily," said Sonic.  
"You know I ain't got no house. But I still ain't stuttin' that little poindexter flyboy."

"Oh, whatever shall I do?" Vanilla fretted.

_Vector walked up to the front door and Sonic spotted him outside through the window._

"There go Vector," said Sonic, pointing outside.  
"Maybe you can get him to do your bidding. You seem to have him pretty whipped anyway."

"Hey Sonic, I'm back!" announced Vector.  
"I got the Cheetos, man."

"Give 'em here," demanded Sonic, with a greedy grin.  
"Oh, and see what this girl wants," he added, motioning towards Vanilla.

"Ah, Miss Vanilla! I didn't see you over there," said Vector.  
"To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Cream has run off again and I'm worried about her," said Vanilla.  
"I think she's off in the wildflower field over on the outskirts of the Jardinia Zone."

"Hmm, I see," said Vector, scratching his chin thoughtfully.  
"That's a pretty wild zone out there, and it's not far from Robotropolis either. She could be in danger!"

"Won't you please help me?" Vanilla requested.

"Of course! Anything for you Vanilla," said Vector, pounding his chest.

"Oh, thank you!" said Vanilla.

"We'll get there faster with Tails' plane," said Vector.  
"I think he was up in the attic tinkering with some of his gadgets."

_The two of them went up to Tails' attic._

_Tails was busy polishing his prized, classic biplane._

"Hmm, what should I call this latest update?" Tails pondered.  
"The Tornado 5.0? The Tornado Excelsior?"

"Tails! Cream needs help!" Vector abruptly burst out.  
"Can we hitch a ride to the Jardinia Zone?" he asked.

"Good a time as any for a test run," Tails thought to himself.  
"Sure. I'll get ready for departure," he agreed.

_Tails immediately sprung into action, clearing the runway, firing up the engine, and preparing for takeoff. Vector and Vanilla sat in the back seat, and the three of them set off in search of Cream._

_As they entered the Jardinia Zone, Tails lowered his altitude so as to get a better view of where Cream might be. He had to do some pretty fancy piloting to navigate through the vast, hanging limbs of the local flora. He successfully eliminated several badniks that were patrolling through the area. They finally reached the wildflower field._

"There's Cream! Right in that patch of purple flowers!" Vanilla exclaimed, pointing ahead.

_Tails swooped down for a landing and the trio exited the Tornado._

"Cream! You had us so worried!" cried Vanilla, as she ran to hug her daughter.  
"What are you doing in a place like this?"

"I was just trying to get some more of the flowers that Mr. Vector got from here," explained Cream.

"Oh no, this is all my fault!" gasped Vector.

_He fell to Vanilla's feet apologetically._

"Dear, sweet Vanilla, will you ever forgive me?!" Vector groveled.

"Never mind that," Vanilla sighed disinterestedly.  
"Cream, didn't I tell you not to come here? There were bad robots and dangerous wildlife all through here."

"I wanted to show you that I can be more grownup, all by myself," said Cream.  
"I need more inde-... _independence_," she added.

"Aren't you like, six?" Tails remarked.

"You're young too, but you still get to do grownup things," argued Cream.

"Yeah, but I'm smart!" Tails exclaimed.  
"_**You**_ still think TV is real!"

"Humph! I'm a lot smarter than you think," huffed Cream.  
"I'm gonna to grow up to be a vet-er-i-nar-i-an. I'll look after all the little animals, and the plants too!"

"A noble goal," Tails admitted, with a slightly patronizing smile.

"But you're not grown up yet Cream," Vanilla interjected.

"I'm not a baby anymore!" insisted Cream.  
"You've got to start trusting me more, mom."

"I do?" asked Vanilla, rhetorically.

_Just then, a loud crash thundered off in the distance.  
_WHOOMPH!

"What in the world was that?" asked Vector.

"Something fell from the sky," said Tails.  
"Maybe it wasn't of _'this world'_..." he added with a curious smile.

"I wanna see!" Cream shouted, as she ran towards the source of the sound.

"Cream! Come back here!" yelled Vanilla, as she went after her.

_The others followed._

Meanwhile, at the crash site...

_The spaceship-like cage which had just crashed to the ground landed next to a tree in which Rouge the Bat happened to be perched. The force of the crash knocked her from her comfy limb and she plummeted into the dirt._

"Ah!" Rouge screeched, as she hit the ground.

_When Rouge collected herself, she spotted the cage and began to approach it. As she drew nearer, she felt something squishy under her foot and looked down to find that she had stepped on a small frog._

~squish~  
-croak!-

"Yuck!" Rouge exclaimed.

_Upon further examination she realized that the frog was still alive. But she also noticed something more extraordinary. A small gemstone had come out of the frogs mouth after she stepped on it!_

_This gave Rouge an idea._

"Meh. What the heck, why not?" she said to herself.

_Rouge raised her foot up and stamped it down on the frog again. And again, an emerald came out. She continued the process until several more emeralds came out._

~squish-squish-squish-squish~

"Ew! Ew! Ew! Ew!" Rouge squealed in between each squish.

_Finally there were no more gemstones after eight had come out. Rouge quickly scooped them up from the ground before the frog could gobble them up again. But it jumped onto her shoulder and began staring at her._

"Gross! What do you want?!" Rouge cringed.

_She shook her arm vigorously, trying to get rid of the frog. But he hung on and even started slapping her face with his tongue!_

Slmack!  
Slmack!

"Ew! Yuck! Get off, get off, get off!" she shrieked.

_That's when Tails and company sauntered onto the scene. She quickly hid her arms behind her back, concealing the frog. She had the gemstones tightly clutched in her other hand behind her back._

"Rouge? What are you doing here?" asked Vector.

"As a matter of fact, I was resting in that tree when this thing crashed next to me and knocked me down!" Rouge griped.

"Well, we'll handle things from here," said Vector.

"Be my guest! It's all yours," said Rouge, as she quickly flew away.

"Hmm, she seems to be up to something," remarked Vector.

"Isn't she always?" Vanilla muttered under her breath.

"Let's have a closer look at whatever is in here," said Tails, as he eagerly approached the cage.

_Tails soon figured out how to unlock the device. The cage opened to reveal a large, very obese, purple, catlike creature with black stripes. The creature appeared quite docile. Suddenly, it let out a loud, bizarre sounding moan._

Muuuhguwhoooo~....

"Ah!" Tails jumped back in fear.

"D'uh, ......Fwoggy???" the creature slurred.

"What the heck is this thing?!" Vector wondered aloud.

"Beats me," said Tails.  
"But from the looks of this structure he crash-landed in, it seems like a cage of some sort. I'd say Robotnik was probably transporting this thing in his ship and it dropped down here unintentionally."

"Either that or he dropped it down here on purpose, so it could get us," said Vector.

"Scary thought, but it's possible," said Tails.

_Suddenly the creature started making a distorted gurgling noise. Its body spontaneously expanded to a larger and more muscular shape! But immediately afterward, it started to grasp ahold of the collar around its neck, as if it were in pain. Then it began to gasp frantically until it reverted back to its original, rotund shape._

"What in blazes was that?!" gasped Tails.

"That meanie Mister Robotnik must have hurt him and put this collar around his neck!" decided Cream.  
"We've got to help him!"

"How about we help _ourselves_ by getting the heck outta here!" suggested Tails.

"I heard that!" Vector chimed in agreement.

"Mommy, we've got to do something!" pleaded Cream.

"I suppose we can't just abandon a poor creature that's been victimized by Dr. Robotnik," said Vanilla.

"Well he's already free from the cage," said Tails.  
"Can't we just let him graze in the field or something?"

"But the collar!" exclaimed Cream.  
"I think it's hurting him!"

_Cream ran up to the cat and started tugging on the collar around its neck._

"It won't come off!" said Cream.  
"There's no buckle or anything."

"Maybe we can fly him back to Tails' workshop and find something to get that collar off with," Vanilla suggested.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a sec!" Tails objected.  
"How am I supposed to fit this fat f***er into my biplane with all of y'all already crowding out the back?!"

"I can fit in the back with the big guy," said Cream.

"What about the rest?" asked Tails.

"I guess I can sit in your lap, and Vector can just walk home," Vanilla offered.

"In my lap..." Tails repeated.

"I don't know if I like this arrangement," said Vector.  
"I have to walk and Tails gets to stay?"

"Of course silly, he's the pilot," said Vanilla.

"I still don't know if I want that scary, weird looking creature in my plane!" said Tails.

"He may look a little... '**different**.' But he's still a fellow Mobian," said Vanilla.  
"And besides, this seems to mean a lot to Cream."

_Seeing the reluctance in Tails' demeanor, Vanilla bent over to address the youngster face-to-face._

"I know you're the real hero of this planet Tails, so do it for Mobius," said Vanilla.  
"Do it for **me**," she added, as she ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Oh, all right," Tails relented.

_They all piled into the biplane in the agreed-upon seating arrangement. Cheese hopped into the back with Cream, even though he was prettymuch forgotten at this point, with Cream being so excited about her new 'friend.'  
__The old Tornado was never so loaded down as it was today. The vessel took off in flight back to Tails' pad, riding a little lower than usual._

_And they really did leave Vector behind._

Meanwhile...

_As soon as Rouge had gotten a safe distance away from the others, she addressed the issue of the persistent frog that wouldn't let go of her._

"Unbelievable! He must want the jewels back," thought Rouge.

_She deftly tucked the little gems away into her... hiding places, and then quickly switched them out with fakes, feeding the duds to the frog. Satisfied, the animal left her alone and hopped away. Rouge took the emeralds back out to examine them, placing them each in a storage jar one by one._

"Ah, most of them are very nice cuts," she remarked.  
"But I don't need this little misshapen one," she said, looking at a tiny, cracked sliver of a gem.

_She tossed the small one on the ground, and to her utter shock and devastation, there was an explosion!_

BOOM!

_As the smoke cleared, she was dazed, confused, and covered in ash. The injured bat staggered around for a bit, and then passed out._

Later, back at Tails' place...

_Tails made an extra careful landing on his homemade runway. Both pilot as well as passengers safely exited the aircraft. Unfortunately the Tornado was noticeably worse for ware, after the arduous journey home._

"Okay big fella, lets go get you taken care of," said Cream, as she took the cat creature by the hand.

"My **baby**..." Tails whimpered, as he gingerly stroked his hand over his battered biplane.

"Hmm, I guess we'll need a name for you," said Cream, ignoring Tails' grief.  
"How about 'Big?' That seems to suit you."

"Now we just need to find a way to remove his collar," said Vanilla.

"Don't worry, I'll find something!" said Cream, dashing off in search of Tails' tool shed.

"Hold on sweetie, you need adult supervision!" said Vanilla.

_Cream had already run around the corner, and Vanilla didn't see where she went from there. Vanilla looked all around the estate, trying to find Cream. Finally she located the tool shed, but as she entered the room, she was shocked by what she saw. Big was sprawled out on the floor and Cream was standing over him with a huge chain saw!_

"This oughtta cut through that lousy old collar!" said Cream, as she revved up the chain saw.

Vroo-vroo-rrroommm!  
Buzzzzzzz...

"Wha-wha-wha-WHOA!" Big screamed, in terror.

"Put that deadly device down this instant!" Vanilla demanded.

"But mom! Nothing else was working to get the collar off!" said Cream.

"I don't care! You ought not to be handling a dangerous tool like that," said Vanilla.

"I thought you said you were gonna start trusting me more," Cream pouted.

"This is different Cream, you could really get hurt!" said Vanilla.  
"In case you hadn't noticed, that thing you're waving around in your hands is a bit more dangerous than a wildflower field!"

"So all that talk about trusting me, and letting me make my own choices was just a lie?!" Cream whined.

"What are you talking about?!" yelled Vanilla.  
"I don't think I even said that!"

"Fine! I can just move in with Amy, at her place in the city," Cream snapped.

_Cream angrily hurled the chainsaw to the floor, barely missing Big as he jumped out of the way just in time. Then she stormed off, with Big left still collared._

"So, _Miss Independent the hedgehog_ is the one who put all these crazy ideas in my daughter's head," Vanilla concluded.  
"That hardheaded, man-chasing, minidress-wearing, little pink hussy!"

_Vector had walked into the room as he had just arrived back at Tails' place._

"So, Cream has been acting-up a lot lately, eh Vanilla?" he asked.

"Oh, hello Vector," said Vanilla, as she just noticed his presence.  
"Yes she has. I don't know what I'm going to do with that little girl of mine," she sighed.

"I hate to see you distressed my dear," said Vector.

"But what can I do about her?" asked Vanilla.

"I dunno. I guess you could just do the obvious and give her a whupping," said Vector, matter-of-factly.

"Oh Vector!" Vanilla chided him, playfully.

"No, I'm serious!" insisted Vector.  
"Whup her butt! That's what she needs."

"Maybe I should," Vanilla chuckled.

CRASH!  
_The jovial mood was disrupted as Vanilla and Vector heard a door loudly crash open in another part of the house._

"What was that noise?!" asked Vanilla.

"Could be an intruder. I'll go check it out," said Vector.

Meanwhile, in the front room of the house...

_Sonic was still wallowing in the floor watching the telly, when suddenly the front door crashed open and the villainous treasure hunter, Nack the Weasel, stormed in with his gun ready._

"What up, fool?" Sonic greeted him.

"Well, if it ain't the original glory hog himself!" declared Nack, as the two of them pounded their fists together, familiarly.  
"What is your ole' lazy butt up to these days? Leeching offa these poor folks here?" asked Nack.

"You know I do how I do," Sonic replied.

"Yeah, always runnin' a scam," Nack chuckled.  
"When you're not busy tricking folks into thinking you're the hero of Mobius, you always be in somebody's kitchen, eating up their food!"

"And just what brings your ugly mug down to these parts?" asked Sonic.

"I got me a job," said Nack.  
"Doing a little poaching for some rich dude. You seen a big, fat cat around here? Purple, striped, and freaky all over?"

"I think them kids brung something like that up in here," said Sonic.

"Where they at?" asked Nack.

"What do I look like, a receptionist?" asked Sonic.  
"Find 'em yourself, unless you plan on giving me a cut of your pay."

"I'll just get their attention then," said Nack.

_He walked to the center of the room and started randomly firing his gun through the house.  
_Boom!-Boom!-Pow!

_Just then, Vector was arriving on the scene, and Tails soon followed._

"Nack The Weasel!" growled Vector.

"What is the meaning of this?!" demanded Tails.

"I came for the catbeast," said Nack.

"Do you mean Big?" asked Vanilla, who was now standing behind Vector.

"Yeah he's _big_ all right," said Nack.  
"Big, nasty, and ugly too."

"No, 'Big' is his name," explained Vanilla.

"All I need to know is that I'm on the right trail," said Nack, as he turned to leave.

"Where do you think you're going?!" asked Tails.

"To hunt down my mark! What's it look like?" Nack scoffed.

"You think you're just gonna walk out of here after you shot a bunch of holes in my house!" screamed Tails.  
"You're not leaving until you pay for this!"

"Ha! Kiss my tail, you little punk-*** b****!" Nack laughed, as he walked to the door.

"Oh, you must not know who I am!" Tails growled.

_Tails quickly flipped open a secret control panel on his countertop, and flipped a switch. Mechanized cords shot up through the floor and ceiling, wrapping around Nack's arms and legs, completely binding his movements._

"Hey! What's the big idea?!" Nack roared.

_Tails stomped over towards Nack and b****-slapped him in the face with his tails!  
_WHAP!

"Ow!" Nack grunted.

"Ha, ha, haa! Who da b*tch now?!" Sonic howled with laughter.

"Shut up man! It ain't funny!" Nack protested.

"You should'na messed with the boy's crib," said Sonic.  
"He spent a lotta time pimping this place out."

"Now you can either give me my money, or I'ma have me a weaselskin rug for the living room," said Tails.

"Fine! It's in my money belt!" said Nack.

_Tails ripped the belt off and got his money out. Then he tossed the whole belt aside._

"Now I'm gonna need some information," said Tails.  
"What do you want with that big cat?"

"I believe I can enlighten this matter," said a voice from outside.

_Everyone looked up and saw Snively calmly walk through the broken doorway._

"Snively!" Vector exclaimed.  
"Looks like we've finally gotten to the rotten core of this plot."

"Call it what you like, but if that creature is allowed to roam free, it could prove a greater threat than any of us," Snively warned.

"I want the whole story," said Tails.

"The Felidae Giganticus, or Big The Cat as you call him, is a monstrous fiend from the ancient world," explained Snively.  
"He was sealed away in an icy prison for millennia, until he was recently reawakened."

"Lemme take a wild guess as to who's responsible for that happening!" scoffed Vector.

"We had the creature contained, until this bumbling oaf let it get away from our ship!" snapped Snively, looking in Nack's direction.

"You can't push all the blame off on me!" Nack protested.  
"If your equipment had worked right-"

"The equipment is the only thing keeping the creature contained now!" Snively interrupted.

"So now this thing could go berserk at any moment and all we have to rely on keeping it neutralized is Robotnik's 'great' technology," muttered, Vector.

"I don't even know where Big is right now!" said Vanilla.  
"I didn't see which way he went after he left the tool shed... he could be with Cream! She could be in danger!"

"I guess we have to go clean up after Snively and Robotnik's screwups," said Vector.  
"For the kid's sake."

"You can't do it without my help!" said Snively.  
"I'm the only one who can control it."

"Obviously you can't, or else it wouldn't be running loose now!" said Vector.

"What's your stake in this anyway, Snively?" asked Tails.  
"Normally we're the ones that have to save the day when one of Robotnik's schemes goes awry. Are you just looking for an excuse why we shouldn't lock you up right now?"

"Listen, if Dr. Robotnik finds out about this fiasco, there will be hell to pay," Snively gravely replied.

"So you'll get in trouble for losing your boss' latest experiment," asserted Vector.

"It's worse than that," said Snively.  
"Dr. Robotnik doesn't know about this little side project of mine, and I'd like to keep it that way! If you cooperate with me, I will make sure that this menace is contained!"

"Okay, Snively does have more background knowledge on the target, so I say we include him," Tails suggested.

"All right, you can come along but I've got my eye on you," said Vector, waving his finger at Snively.

"Very well," said Snively.  
"My ship is parked in a field, not too far from here."

"And I'll go get the Tornado ready," said Tails.

"Wait a sec! What about me?!" yelled Nack.  
"Ain't you s'posed to let me go?"

"We'll let you go later," said Tails.  
"...to prison, that is."

"What?! But I thought we had a deal!" said Nack.

"Don't worry, I'll let you keep your worthless pelt, just like we agreed," said Tails, with a smirk.  
"Could you take care of the wrap-up Vector?"

"I'm on it Tails," said Vector.

_Vector picked Nack's gun up from the floor and broke it in half over his knee. Then he threw it in the trash and patted Nack down for any other weapons, of which he found several. After strip searching Nack, he left him tied up in Tails' trap and followed the others to the field where Snively had landed his ship._

Meanwhile...

_While Nack intruded rather forcefully into Tails' abode, there was another little villainous minion quietly lurking about the neighborhood..._

_Robotnik's messenger robot, Bokkun was sneaking through the area, looking for clues as to what Snively might be up to. Although Bokkun was not expressly deployed on this mission by Robotnik, he thought it would be wise to look out for his boss' interests by keeping an eye on Snively's activities, and possibly score a few points with the eggman in the process._

_As Bokkun was snooping around tonight, he spotted one of those pesky Mobians who hangs out with Sonic sometimes. It was none other than Cream The Rabbit. She was sulking by herself in a garden about a half mile from Tails' house, just after she ran from the tool shed._

_Bokkun noticed that the rabbit girl looked sad and he became curious. He decided to see what was the matter, as he might be able to press her for some information after all._

"What are you doing out here all by yourself, little missy?" asked Bokkun, menacingly.

"One of Eggman's robots!" Cream exclaimed.

"Not just any robot," said Bokkun.  
"I am messenger robo, Bokkun."

"Go away, you!" Cream ordered.

"What?! Why you little..." Bokkun stammered.  
"What's the matter with you anyway?"

"It's all your fault, you and your Mister Eggman are the ones who put that terrible collar on my new friend, Big The Cat," said Cream.

"Collar? ...big cat?" Bokkun wondered out loud.

"Yes, and you locked him in that awful cage we found out in the forest," said Cream.

("Sheesh! This girl was easy to pick for information," thought Bokkun.)  
("She's singing like a canary!")

"It must be Snively's doing," Bokkun mumbled to himself.

"I won't forgive your cruelty to the animals!" said Cream.

"Take it easy! Maybe I can help your friend," said Bokkun.

"Why would you want to help me?" asked Cream, suspiciously.

"Nevermind!" snapped Bokkun, getting a bit flushed.  
"You say he had a collar on, right? A mechanical one that wouldn't come off? I can take you to the ship where they put the collar on. You need a special device in there to take the collar off. Follow me!"

"I'm not sure if I should go with you," said Cream, tentatively.

"What's the matter? Are you scared because the grownups aren't around? Because you don't have a hero to protect you?" Bokkun jeered.

"I can take care of myself!" Cream sniffed, proudly.

"Then follow me," said Bokkun.

"Okay, I'll get Big so we can bring him along," said Cream.

_Cream and Bokkun flew off and found Big in another section of that same garden. They led him all the way back to Snively's ship. Bokkun had been monitoring Snively's movements lately, and although he didn't know exactly what the straying lackey was up to, he knew his ship had landed in the area this evening._

_The trio shortly arrived at Snively's ship, while Snively and the gang were still en route from Tails' place._

_Cream gazed around the vessel, looking for something to get the collar off._

"I wonder which one of these devices can remove this collar," she pondered out loud.

"Try the one labeled 'collar removal device'," said Bokkun.

_Cream pushed, or rather prodded the giant cat onto a reclining chair underneath the device._

"D'uh... huh?" Big babbled.

"Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit," said Cream.  
"...will it?" she asked, looking to Bokkun.

_Bokkun merely shrugged his shoulders and flipped the lever on the device. A large pair of scissors descended from a crane, unceremoniously snipping the collar from around Big's neck._

_As soon as the collar fell off, Big inflated to an even greater size and grew muscular, sort of like when they first met him, only more so. And he didn't revert back to his overweight state this time._

"You did it! I'm totally free! Free~ee!" Big exclaimed.

"You can talk?" asked Cream, in amazement.

"Intelligently?" added Bokkun, in surprise.

"Hey, of course I can," Big chuckled.  
"Collar kept me retarded. And that's not all..."

_Big struck a dramatic pose as he prepared to show off another of his newly unlocked abilities. He opened his mouthed incredibly wide and let out a loud, extremely long and grotesque croaking noise, similar to that of a frog but much more prolonged and distorted._

CRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAK!!!!!!!!!!

_The disgusting sound reverberated throughout the entire structure, shaking the walls. At length, there was a sparkling of light in front of Big and a small frog materialized before him, as if out of thin air._

"Hey, Froggy! There you are buddy," said Big.

"Wow, cool!" Cream exclaimed.  
"Is that your pet or something?"

"Pet?" Big repeated.  
"Yeah I guess you could say so. _'Pet,'_ _'familiar.'_ Y'know, whatever. "But watch what he can do."

_Froggy opened his mouth and regurgitated several small gemstones. Big proceeded to scoop them all into his palm._

"I've been waiting a long time to get my hands on these babies," Big grinned.  
"I hold within my hand, the power to change the world!"

"Are you going to use those little gems to protect all the plants and free the little forest creatures so that there can be beautiful flower gardens everywhere?" asked Cream.

"Heh! Yeah right," Big chuckled.  
"With what I got right here, I can... I can... waitaminute!"

_Big closely examined the jewels in his hand._

"Hey, these are fakes!" yelled Big.  
"Someone stole my seismogems! All of my colossal plans for this planet are ruined!"

"Well, maybe I can help you find the real gems," offered Cream.  
"Where did you last see them?"

"As I recall... that sly, shapely batgirl had them!" Big reflected.

"It must have been Rouge! That sneaky old bat lady we found by your cage," said Cream.

"Then we're gonna go find her!" said Big.

"Drat! Here comes that conniving Snively!" said Bokkun, looking out the window.  
"And that meddlesome foxboy and the others are chasing right behind him!"

"They must be trying to stop Snively from getting to the ship so he can't capture Big again," said Cream.

"No way! I'm not gonna let 'em collar me again!" said Big, jumping to the ships controls.

_Just as Big was starting the engine, Snively arrived just in time to find his ship leaving without him._

"Blasted!" Snively shouted.  
"He's made off with my ship! That could only mean..."

"Is Cream inside the ship with that monster?!" Vanilla screamed.

_They all looked up as the ship ascended and saw Cream poking her head out the window!_

"Don't worry mommy! I'll protect Big!" she called out to them.

"Cream, my baby!" Vanilla cried.

"We'll catch up to them in the Tornado!" said Tails.  
"Brace yourselves everyone, I'm pushing it to full speed!"

_Tails and company gave chase, but Snively's ship proved the faster of the two vessels._

"It's no use, they're getting away!" said Vector.

"The Tornado must've been compromised from that rough flight earlier today," Tails reflected.

"If you shoot those little yellow panels on either side of the ship, they'll lose speed," said Snively.

"You intend to shoot at the ship that's carrying my little Cream?!" asked Vanilla.

"Don't worry, I'm a crack shot," said Tails.

"You must be _**on**_ crack if you think I'm going to let you shoot at my child!" said Vanilla.

_Vanilla reached into the front seat, trying to interfere with Tails' guns._

"Will someone please restrain this, this... _**female**_!" spat Snively.

"Vector! Mind your woman!" Tails ordered.

"Well, um... she's not exactly my, er..." Vector stammered.

"Must I do _everything_?" sighed an exasperated Snively.

_He gave Vanilla a precision punch to knock her unconscious with minimal force._

Whap!  
_Vanilla went out like a light._

"How dare you!" screamed Vector.

"Let it go for now!" said Tails.

_Tails took the shot, and Snively's ship began to stall. Finally, it slowed down to a steady drift._

"Now what?" asked Vector.

"Now we'll board her!" replied Tails.

_Tails took his plane in closer, within inches of Snively's ship. Then he activated metallic pincers on the bottom of the Tornado, clinging it to the opposing vessel._

_By now, Vanilla's eyes began to flutter open. She looked around and quickly regained her senses. Her eyes fell on Vector._

"Vanilla, you're awake!" said Vector.

WHAM!  
_Vanilla bashed the poor, blameless croc over his head._

"Ow! What was that for?!" Vector whined.

"Humph!" Vanilla huffed, indignantly.

"I wasn't the one who knocked you out! It was that funny-looking, little nitwit faggot, Snively!" argued Vector.

"We can deal with Snively's apparent misogynistic issues some other day!" said Tails.  
"Right now, _it's hero time_," he said with a confident smirk.

_They all slid inside the ship through an outside compartment. They found Cream inside with Bokkun, but Big was nowhere in sight._

"Cream! Honey, we've come to rescue you!" said Vanilla.

"What? _Who_ needs rescuing!" Cream protested.

"We have come for the Felidae Giganticus," said Snively.

"You're working with one of Robotnik's henchmen?!" asked Cream.

"Are _you_?" asked Vector, looking at Bokkun.

"But he'll hurt Big!" Cream cried, ignoring Vector's accusation.

"You don't know what you're dealing with here!" said Tails.

"I know you think that Big is your friend..." began Vanilla.  
"But Mr. Snively has explained to us that Big is very bad and dangerous, and he can hurt you unless we allow him to be properly contained."

"So you believe **him** over **me**!" Cream exclaimed.

(_In fact, Vanilla had developed a grudging respect for Snively in this time._)

"Where is that vile creature hiding?!" demanded Snively.

"Answer his question sweetie, this is no time for games!" said Vanilla.  
"Where is Big?"

"What's the point of telling you? _You don't __**trust**__ me_," said Cream, with a stubborn sniff.

"Okay, fine," Tails sighed.  
"Vector, we'll just have to find him ourselves!"

"At least the creature doesn't seem to be as bestial as when it first awoke," said Snively.  
"But his newly restored intellect may prove just as deadly. Watch yourselves," he warned.

_The men went into the adjacent room of the ship, searching for Big. Cream stayed behind with Cheese and her mom. For some reason, Cream got a sly look in her eyes as she looked to the floor, where Froggy lay._

"Okay Big, ...go!" yelled Cream.

_She quickly stomped on the little frog, and against all feasible possibility within natural laws, Big shot out of the tiny amphibian's mouth and was propelled all the way up to the ceiling where the Tornado had landed!!!_

"Cream! What have you done?!" Vanilla cried.

"And how did that huge cat fit into that little frog's belly?" Bokkun chimed in, just for the heck of it.

_Big leapt into Tails' plane and grabbed the controls! The guys all ran back into the room with Cream and Vanilla._

"What's going on in here?!" asked Vector.

"I'll tell you what's going on... **Big is in my plane**!" Tails exclaimed, pointing up to the ceiling.

"Cream, what were you thinking?!" yelled Vanilla.  
"You just unleashed an ancient evil onto the populous! Big is really a maniacal lunatic bent on destroying the planet!"

"What! You're crazy!" said Cream.  
"Big is not like that at all!"

_Big revved the Tornado's engine._

"Woo-hoo-hoo! Ahh-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!!!!" he cackled wildly, as he took off.

"Nooooooooo!!!!" Tails cried.

"Do you see what you've really done now?!" asked Vector.

"But Big is the good guy!" Cream insisted.  
"He's going to use his little chaos emeralds to help us all, right Bokkun?"

"Are you serious?! _**No!!!**_" shouted Bokkun.  
"I just wanted to get back at Snively and then Rouge, but I never should've let it go this far."

"Where are these '_little chaos emeralds_?'" asked Snively.

"That batty jewel thief has them!" said Bokkun.

"If the legends are true, those little emeralds are shards from an ancient emerald of destruction!" said Snively.  
"They would be deadly, especially in the wrong hands."

"Rouge lives near the original crash site where we found Big. We've got to repair the engine and go after them!" said Tails.

_Everyone worked together to get the ship back to running at full speed again, except for Cream who just sat in the corner, pouting like a little brat._

Meanwhile, at Rouge's place...

_Big crash-landed Tails' plane near the spot were he had originally crashed himself. The Tornado was practically totalled._

_Big hopped out of the wrecked biplane and located Rouge's small house nearby. Rouge was lying in bed, her body fully wrapped in bandages. She was still recuperating from the blast of the tiny seismogem that blew up on her earlier. Now a most unwelcome visitor entered her room._

"Ah, there you are!" said Big, as he approached her bed.

_Rouge's eyes widened in terror and she began trembling, though she could barely move._

"I believe you have something that belongs to me, and I want it back!" said Big.  
"And whatever Big _wants_, Big _**gets**_!"

"In... in the closet! Th-th-the closet!" Rouge fearfully moaned.

"Aha! My seismogems!" Big exclaimed, as he reclaimed the droplets of destruction.  
"At last, I can lay the world to waste and crush these puny maggots into submission!"

"Shoot! We got here too late!" said Tails, as he and the others entered the house.

"Step aside, unless you want me to detonate the lot of these gems," said Big.

"You'll destroy yourself too!" said Vector.

"What better way to go, than in the most beautiful act of destruction this world has ever seen?" Big remarked.

"You're mad!" declared Snively.

Ker-SMASH!!!  
_Suddenly one of the walls of the house cracked open as a large, rotating blue ball crashed through it!_

"Sonic! What are you doing here?" Tails exclaimed.

"I thought things might get interesting, so I decided to show up," Sonic replied, nonchalantly.

"Stay back! Or I'll use these things!" Big warned.

"Hmph!" Sonic smirked.

_Big cautiously edged his way out of the house and Sonic seemed to completely ignore him. He just stood there with his arms crossed and held that same indifferent smirk on his face, as Big ran outside to Snively's ship. The others ran outside to see what Big would do._

_Big turned around to taunt them._

"Some heroes you guys are! You can't even stop a fuzzy little kitty from destroying your entire planet!" he laughed.

_At that moment, Cream had stepped out of the ship where she had remained up until now. She heard everything Big just said..._

"Big! It can't be true!" Cream cried.

_Big turned back around to face her._

"You again! Will I never be rid of you and your ridiculous little robot-boyfriend?" he snapped.

"What?!" Cream yelped.

_Bokkun blushed bright red._

"But then again, I guess I couldn't have done all this without your help, you little dimwit!" Big chuckled.

_Cream trembled with anger. She instantly grabbed ahold of Cheese and hurled him straight into Big's face as hard as she could._

WHAM!

"Ah!" Big grunted.

_Big wasn't seriously hurt, but he dropped the container of seismogems as he stumbled backwards. Tails pounced forward and caught the jar before it could hit the ground._

"He's all yours, Sonic!" said Tails.

**Whirrrrrrr**_**-ZOOM!**_

_Within an instant, Sonic was all over Big, circling him with a flurry of dash attacks, cutting into him with his razor sharp quills!_

Chop!  
CHOP!!  
Rrrrrip!!!

"Aaahrrrrrrrrrrgh!!!!!!!" Big screamed in agony.

_After Big collapsed from the sheer overload of pain, Snively ran up and clasped a neutralizing collar around his neck. Big degenerated back down to his previous form as an overweight, retarded cat._

"What'll we do with him now?" asked Vanilla.

"Well I don't suppose you'll let me keep him for my own experiments, so perhaps the young girl would like to keep him as a pet?" suggested Snively.

"You would let me?" Cream asked her mother.

"I guess he's harmless now, as long as the collar stays on," Vanilla reflected.

"So you'll really just get him cleaned up and take him home with you?" asked Vector.

"You know what..." Tails began.  
"**No**!!! Absolutely not! No freaking way!"

_Tails grabbed ahold of Big and strapped him to the front of what was left of his biplane. Then he hopped inside and flew it all the way to the nearest volcano and let the whole plane crash into the lava along with Big. Tails jumped out at the last minute and flew away to safety on his own power._

_And that was the end of Big The Cat._

Later,  
Back at Cream and Vanilla's house...

_Vanilla sat down with Cream and had a long talk with her, lecturing her about responsibility, trust and respect._

"Now do you understand my concerns and why I have to be restrictive sometimes?" Vanilla concluded.

"Yes, you were right mom," Cream admitted.  
"I've really learned my lesson."

_Vanilla put her hand on Cream's shoulder, comfortingly._

"Well it's good that you're sorry for what you've done, but that isn't all there is to it," said Vanilla.

"It's not?" asked Cream.

"No, I'm afraid that I'll have to punish you too, so you'll remember the lesson you learned," explained Vanilla.

"But I don't want to sit in the corner!" Cream whined in protest.

"Oh, you won't be sitting anywhere," said Vanilla.

_Vanilla used the hand she had laid on Cream's shoulder to shove the girl over her knee. Then she spanked her little bunny heinie, just as Vector had suggested._

whap-whap-slap!  
"Don't you ever pull a crazy stunt like that again, do you hear me girl?!" Vanilla scolded.

"Ow, oo! Yes ma'am!" Cream winced.

"And don't you be sassing me like you did before either! Understand?"  
smack-smack-smack!

"Yes ma'am!" Cream squealed.

"Hmm. Maybe there's something to that Vector fella after all," Vanilla thought, as she continued meting out the punishment.

* * *

**Epilogue**

From then on, Cream understood the boundaries of acceptable behavior and accepted her limitations as just being a kid at this time in her life.

Vector soon realized that Vanilla respected a firm, strong-willed, take-charge sort of man instead of an obsequious groveller, and he began successfully wooing her.

Cheese became an instant celebrity in Chao Gardens around the world, for his role in saving the planet.

Nack The Weasel was incarcerated by the local authorities, but he boasted that he would escape one day.

Rouge made a complete recovery. She returned to her insidious ways, gliding through the skies and slinking through the shadows, ever watchful for that alluring glimmer of precious stones.

As for Snively and Bokkun, they each agreed not to reveal the other's involvement in the sordid little escapade which had transpired. Should the matter become known to Robotnik, they were each likely to suffer punishment as long as the powerful gems were not in his possession. But they both kept plotting their next move, although no one knew what Tails had done with the seismogems.

Tails continued to vigilantly keep an eye out for the welfare of the planet, but everyone realized once again that when things come down to the wire, Sonic The Hedgehog is still the true hero of Mobius.

And they all lived happily ever after. At least until the next time Sonic got drunk and started raising heck for no reason. But everyone loved him anyway.

**The End**


	29. And the winner is:

**"The Dark Side of the Hog" Awards: The best one-shot!**

The time has finally come to crown the undisputed winner of this contest… You've voted, you've waited and now, you shall know…

Before proceeding with the recap of the 5 finalists and their poll results, I'd like to once again thank each and every one of you for participating in this collab. We've seen a very impressive showcase of raw talents make their voice (or rather, their writing) known; in my view, all of your stories were good… Unfortunately, as the poll stated, only a few were fantastic… And there they are, the finalists:

**"Which Came First" (Mephiles the Dark's story) by Rae Logan.**

As we know, Rae Logan is a fanfiction veteran… Not just on this site but in many others, including her own. It was just a formality then, that her Mephiles's based story had to make it to the finals: the tragic and angsty portrait of a being cursed to eternal madness since his own birth, that shouldn't have happened in the first place and that caused several disfiguring time paradoxes we all know about. There is no other fan author that can depict a complicated character like Mephiles, better than his number one fan author… I think we can all agree on that.

**"You're Too Slow!" (Metal Sonic's story) by The Conflicted Writer.**

Aaaah, Metal Sonic… Everybody has his own idea about the good old hedge-robot. We usually like to see him as evil as the wind blows… Or as heroic as a superhero… Then, there are people, like my good friend and self-proclaimed apprentice, The Conflicted Writer, that has a very deep vision of his utter tragedy… The tragedy of Existence… The tragedy of not having a real life aside from the objective he's been created for… And the tragedy of not being able to fulfill such goal… of being a failure who does not deserve to live. Such sufferance is more human than anyone could ever imagine and this story is the perfect metaphor for this concept. Madhog thy Master has spoken.

**"Lepidopterology" (Blaze the Cat's story) by Respice Finem.**

From an almost incomprehensible title, comes a story who's origins can be found in the fiery depths of Hell itself… Quite literally. The moral I see in it? If Life's a bitch… Afterlife is the bitch's pimp, and he wants your money!

**"Anti-Hero" (Scourge the Hedgehog's story) by The Shattered Evoker.**

This young lad is still a rookie in the fanfiction universe… But as his story demonstrated, he's got some talent that definitely deserves to be encouraged. This is a simple, epic tale of a dimensional reject that turns into a hero… A story of redemption and bravery, in the green hedgehog's style. The title of this fic couldn't possibly be more appropriate; in fact it was an idea of mine… The title, not the story.

**"Naiveté" (Cream the Rabbit's story) by Petite-Dreamer.**

This one-shot is my personal favorite of the entire collab. It has a deep and appreciable style and gives Cream a more profound view… In essence, this tale speaks about the greatest among tragedies… Growing up. The undeniable trauma of leaving the innocence and carefree-ness of childhood, its dreams and illusions, for the cold and mean reality of adulthood and the impossibility of returning into such fairy tale. I know that I'm not being too fair, but if it depended on me I would have proclaimed this story the absolute winner... But it did not depend on me so… let's see which one won!

Rae Logan may be the most experienced writer in this collab. (aside from The Conflicted Writer) and one of most renown in here… But to her dismay, she only received the 10% of the votes, placing her story in the 5th place;

Respice Finem's infernal tale got itself a decent 4th place with a 15%;

The Conflicted Writer earned the 3rd place with 20% of the total votes;

We're getting now, to the top 2: "Anti-Hero" and "Naivetè" by The Shattered Evoker and Petite-Dreamer respectably… Amazingly enough, these two young fan authors managed to beat people more "famous" than them; that alone is a great accomplishment, but now it's time to declare a winner! Sooooo… What would that be? The story of a reject's redemption or the tragedy of a little girl who found herself little no more? The anti-hero or the naïve kid?

And the winner is…

….

……

…………

………………… With 30 % of the votes, surpassing the 2nd classified with just a small 5 %, "The Dark Side of the Hog" Awards are proud to proclaim the best one-shot of this collab………. "Anti-Hero" by The Shattered Evoker!

Congratulations! You've made it, laddie! You've beaten 20 other bloodthirsty participants and your story is the best in the entire collab! Now, it's time to claim your prize… A radio phonic dramatization of your own story by my friend, The Conflicted Writer, who conveniently didn't win.

Well, that's it for this collab, folks… It's been an awfully amazing ride and stuff. I'm now working on a new collab. about fancy Sonic couples! If you want to participate, you know were to find me…

See you there… Yeah, you know where.

**Madhog thy Master 3:16.**


	30. Metal Sonic and Amy

**A/N: This one-shot marks the official beginning of the second collab, the one about fancy Sonic couples... For more informations, take a look at chapter 16.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**PERSPECTIVE**

**By **

**The Conflicted Writer**

* * *

Perception is a strange thing.

It is the single view of one specific person, from where they stand.

From many different points of view, things assemble like a puzzle…

But with only one point of view, you will see only a small portion of a whole story.

Take, for example, this one…

Sonic the Hedgehog and Amy Rose. They are sweet hearts. They have been for the past great while. The scene is a beach, despite Sonic's fear of water. It's a summer home. When you're the hero of the world, practically everything is yours. It is night time. It has been three days to themselves, with only each other as company.

"Hey, Amy!" Sonic called from the couch, apparently bored. "How much longer? I've been waiting forever!"

"Sonic, you know it's only been ten minutes" Amy called back.

"That's still a pretty long time" Sonic said to himself. "Seriously, how long does it take to put on her skirt thing?"

"Alright, my speedy hero, I'm ready." At this, Amy walked down the stairs, not wearing her usual attire, as Sonic had secretly expected. It was a flattering green dress that she wore, decorated with seashells and the like. Sonic grinned.

"Don't tell me you forgot?" Amy said as she came all the way down the steps. She appeared almost hurt.

Sonic stood up and reached into his quills and pulled out an obvious jewelry box. "Now what would make you think I'd forget something like that?" he asked sarcastically.

Amy beamed. "Oh Sonic you did remember!" She grabbed Sonic in a hug, having to struggle to remember not to squeeze too hard. She still couldn't get over the fact that he wouldn't run away, it seemed.

Sonic embraced Amy back, looking very pleased. "I'll never forget anything about you, Amy."

"Does that include the first time we met?"

"Especially that."

--

Metal Sonic looked at him and then her. He was running, she was running. He was trying to escape, she was trying to catch him. Metal Sonic ran over his mission again.

'Lure hedgehog to Little Planet. Use whatever means to do so. Show no mercy. Await further instructions.'

Metal Sonic studied the two runners better. He was running. She was chasing.

Why?

What was the point?

He searched his data banks for an answer.

'Possible cause of a female chasing a male: Rage at male'

Not likely. She was smiling and cheering, indications of joy.

'Male could have stolen something from female'

This would fall under rage. Again, she is laughing. Not a likely answer.

'Male and female are in love; male is running because he is playing hard to get, a way to get a female to desire the male more'

This seemed plausible. The female was chasing him, and he was acting annoyed. This answer makes sense.

Best course of action: kidnap female. If male loves female, male will give chase.

Metal Sonic picked his target and he charged.

--

"I was so scarred when he grabbed me."

"Yeah, I bet it was scary."

"But he's gone now" Amy cooed as he nuzzled into Sonic's embrace. "So, what did you get me?"

Sonic pulled back a bit and held out the jewelry box to Amy. "Open it and find out."

Amy squealed in glee and opened the box in an instant, Sonic almost missing her doing it she was so fast. Amy gasped as she looked at the golden bracelet inside, littered with jeweled flowers, all of them roses.

"Roses for my rose" Sonic said with a smirk. "And they'll never wither. Like my love for you."

Amy become teary eyed. "Oh, Sonic, that's so beautiful. You never said anything like that before to me."

"No, I suppose I didn't."

--

The Overlord of all things metal sat in his chair, a hand to his chin to indicate boredom. He was watching a screen of the male and female fighting, though he now knew their names.

"Sonic…" he said in spite.

"_Amy, what are you doing here!?_"

Still he did not acknowledge the female, even after all this time. He was very good at playing 'hard to get'. To prove this, he was even attacking the female.

"Amy…" he said mockingly.

"_Come on, Sonic! You know we'll get married!_"

"You are so foolish to want him if he is willing to do this to you. You are perhaps the most idiotic person I've ever seen."

"_You are crazy and need therapy! And I need a restraining order!_"

Of course, to the Overlord, it did not matter. There was only one point to anything.

"The hedgehog must be eliminated."

--

They stepped out into the brisk night air, the waves splashing in a calm and even pattern.

"You've done so much for me Sonic" Amy stated passionately, leaning into her hero's shoulder.

Sonic, with his arm around, blushed and looked embarrassed. "Aww, that's not true. I haven't done that much."

"You even learned how to swim for me, Sonic! And you sink like a rock."

"All I do is put a life jacket on."

"But you do it for me. I want you to know that it means a lot to me."

Again, Sonic blushed. "You're welcome, Amy. I'd do anything for you. I'd even fix the moon, if that's what you wanted."

Amy smiled, closing her eyes. "What happened, Sonic?"

"What do you mean?"

"You used to always run, and running was all you were. But you stopped running so much, and now you stay with me. What happened that made you do that?"

Sonic frowned, gripping at the five scars on his chest.

--

"Come on, Metal head!" Sonic taunted as he smacked his rear end towards Metal Sonic. "I'm right here! What are you waiting for?"

For the perfect moment to strike.

"What are you doing!?" Sonic yelled. "You walk up to me and you're just gonna stand there? Attack already!"

Metal Sonic did not move, though he desperately wanted to. It took all he had to hold his rage back. But it would be worth it.

"Well? I'm right here! Come on, I thought you hated me!" Sonic was sweating.

This pleased Metal Sonic. Sonic could not stand the wait, for he himself could not hold still.

"Alright, if you won't move, I will!" Sonic charged forward.

Metal Sonic held out his clawed hand.

--

"It was my last fight a while back. Remember when I was gone for a few months?"

"Yeah, everyone all over the world was so worried."

"I had a lot of time to think things over. All my rampaging around, all my running for no reason. I decided I needed a reason, and not to run, but to live."

Amu smiled again. "And I'm it?"

"Yeah." Sonic chuckled a little.

Amy appeared solemn. "What did happen to you? I mean, all I know was that he attacked you and gave you those scars."

Sonic took a breath through his nose, frowning.

--

Sonic ran at Metal Sonic, using all his speed, all his strength. A single head-butt could take Metal Sonic out, but Sonic thought he would move and they would battle.

He thought.

Metal Sonic did not move. Metal took the attack. He did not defend. He clinged to Sonic with his claws, scratching him. Sonic stopped abruptly, causing Metal Sonic to fly off.

"Ha!" Sonic taunted. "Is that the best you can do?"

Metal Sonic stood up and shook a single finger, similar to how Sonic would do. "Yes… it is." Then Sonic noticed something. One of Metal Sonic's hands was gone.

Sonic felt a gripping pain. It was on his chest. It was _in_ his chest.

Sonic found Metal Sonic's hand. His sharp, clawed hand.

--

"Oh my" said Amy as her eyes shrunk.

Sonic nodded. "I wasn't afraid, though. No, it wasn't until after it was done that I was scarred. His hand stayed there for a while." Sonic paused and let go of Amy and looked up at the starry sky.

"What's wrong, Sonic" Amy asked.

"I need to know something, Amy… do you like the new Sonic better, or the old one?"

Amy seemed taken back by the question. "Sonic, what do you mean?"

"You said it yourself. I'm different. Do you like the new Sonic better or the old one?"

Amy blinked slowly, frowning as she did so. "I fell in love with the old Sonic… but I like the new Sonic better."

Sonic smiled and turned back to face her. "Thanks, Amy. Let's head back to the house."

Amy, however, did not stop frowning.

"What's wrong?"

Amy sniffled, surprising Sonic as tears began to poor. "I need to know something" said Amy. "You've always told the truth, I noticed. Now answer truthfully: when were you going to tell me?"

Sonic gulped. "Tell you what?"

"That the old Sonic died."

Sonic's eyes shrunk. He gripped at his chest a breathed deeply. After a moment of this, he looked down, ashamed. "I was never going to tell you."

Amy was silent.

"How long have you known?"

"… from the moment you took swimming lessons. The old Sonic wouldn't get in water for anything, not even me."

Sonic was silent.

"What made you do this? Was that what you were always meant to do all along?"

"No."

"Was it me? Have you always felt this way about me?"

"No."

"Then what? From what I can see, you only did it because you could."

"You are right. I did it because I could."

Amy took a step back from Sonic.

"Wait, Amy it's not like that."

"Then what? What is it like?"

"In my perspective, it is…"

--

Sonic could not breathe. When he tried, blood would squirt from his mouth.

"How ironic, hedgehog. All this time, I've been trying to be faster than you. Now, when I hardly move at all, you have lost."

Sonic's eyes widened, most likely in fear, and in regret.

"What is the matter? I had expected you to smile, to give one last remark of smug, idiotic joy."

Sonic fell, gripping at his chest.

"I do believe that you're lungs and heart has been punctured. Even if someone found us now, no one could save you. How does that feel? With there being no possible way out at all. You always found some lucky way out. But this time was all about planning."

Sonic opened his mouth to say something. It never came out. His eyes rolled back and his face fell.

Metal Sonic stood there, starring. Sonic was dead. After all this time, all this work, all this madness, Sonic was dead.

… Now what?

He had never, EVER, thought this far. Sonic was dead. Metal Sonic did it. That was it.

What was he to do now?

Was there anything?

There was nothing left. Not even the anger that he had held for so long.

Metal Sonic starred at Sonic. He was now as lifeless as himself, he noted. Metal Sonic had no where to go, no purpose.

This was success for a machine. Afterwards, you were useless.

--

Amy was still crying.

"Amy, please. I'm sorry. I understand if you hate me. But please, understand. I had nothing but hate. When he was gone, it left." Sonic looked like he wanted to cry himself now.

"If you had nothing left, why did you… do this to yourself?"

"I… couldn't let Sonic die."

--

Metal Sonic looked at the no longer moving body. All of his insides had basically shut down. They could still work, but his brain had no more oxygen. It had died. With it, Sonic did too.

Metal Sonic was worried. Without that miracle hedgehog, who would protect this planet from all the strange things that appeared? The planet could have been destroyed on multiple occasions, but he stopped the unstoppable. Without Sonic, there would be no world. Without the world, he could not exist.

What was he to do? Did he desire anything? Did he even care if he died?

No. Metal Sonic did not care. He had no care in the world. And not in the happy-go-lucky way.

So, for a long while, all Metal Sonic did was stand and stare, with no where to go, nothing to do.

Metal Sonic…

Wait.

He was Sonic.

Metal Sonic.

Sonic.

Take away the metal.

He was Sonic.

… He could be Sonic.

Metal Sonic looked at the body, and made a decision.

Sonic had not died. He had been remade.

Metal Sonic picked up the body and took it away to the nearest Eggman facility.

If he wanted to be Sonic… well, what better way

--

then to use Sonic's actual form?" Sonic held his head down in apparent shame.

"You… repaired Sonic's body?" Amu asked shakily.

Sonic nodded and gripped at his scars again. "The lungs are now plastic. The heart is synthetic. The ripped veins healed themselves. The brain is still dead. My processor is connected to the spinal cord."

"You thought you could replace Sonic?"

"I am Sonic. My original being is a part of him. My original blueprints used his brain patterns. Everything he likes, I like. Everything he hates," he sighed and pointed at himself, "I hate. Everything he loves," he held a hand out to Amy, "I love."

Amy, through her tears, smiled. "I could look at this in two ways. You are a monster who should be left alone to rot."

Sonic took a step back.

"Or I could see it as you being Sonic. The better one."

Now tell me. From your perspective…

What do you see?


	31. The winner's prize!

Ehi there everybody. I just wanted to advice you that The Shattered Evoker's prize (the radio phonic version of his own story) has been ultimated, so if you want to hear it, all you have to do is going in The Conflicted Writer's home page, follow the second link (not the first one), select the Conflicted's file, sit back, relax and enjoy his best work so far… Complete with the very introduction of this collab!

Once again, I thank you for partecipating and sincerely congratulate with The Shattered Evoker for delivering to us what it could be easily considered his best story so far.

I'll be seeing all of you in this upcoming collab.

**Madhog thy Master 3:16.**


	32. Tails and Marine

**There was Cream**. A sweet girl, who would enjoy to be kind. A good girl. Someone who would not get angry with you for no silly little reason. Actually, thinking about it she never _did_ seem to get angry. She was always bright and cheerful. A kind girl, and quite playful. You couldn't get on the wrong side of her. But, too goody-goody.

**And, there was Cosmo**. Yes. My first love. Lively, and cheerful. One I could so easily get along with. A centre of joy in my life. A brave soul, who is so generous. I just had one small problem with her: she was dead.

* * *

**... AND THEN, THERE WAS MARINE**

* * *

Irritating, a real pain, rebellious, unable to control, a pirate wannabe. Someone I would love to give a good thrashing when I felt like it. Someone I could easily get on the wrong side of, yet, fortunately for me, I have kept my cool. She never changed her personality, no matter how hard I tried to help... So, why do I love her? Wait. Rephrase that: Why do I _still _love her?

* * *

Trying to change a personality is extremely difficult, and almost the impossible. Yet, I thought I was capable of doing it. I defeated dark lords with Sonic, and menacing doctors. I could look after myself, and could build any technology I wished - at times. So, sure. I could change one's personality to a kind soul.

I had tried that with her. Back when I was fourteen or fifteen. It wasn't the first time I'd met her. I'd first met her when I was ten. Now fourteen, she had come to my dimension for the first time, and, of course, I could not control her. The problem I had with her, was that she was _too_ adventurous, and I could lose her in an instant. Whilst I was trying to create a device to take her back to her own dimension for good, and watching her at the same time, it was impossible. And, I decided to come up with one solution: change her.

* * *

So. What do I do? I wasn't so sure myself, but I thought of something. However, I had a hunch it wouldn't work. Words seemed to be the only thing I could give you.

I was halfway done with the device, and decided to give it a rest. I turned to see you tediously drilling the air, with my electric drill. I made my way to you, and asked if you were hungry. In your strong Australian voice you said you were, and I led you to a favourite restaurant of mine. I had prayed to the heavens above that you would not cause chaos.

Once we were in the restaurant, I realised how screwed up I was. You had never been to a place like this before, and had quickly gone to investigate. After almost setting fire to the kitchen, we were both chucked out... almost literally. Before I had time to recover from such rudeness, you had already dispersed to some place else to cause chaos.

You were so annoying, that I almost hated you.

Finally, after stopping you from smashing a shop window with a brick and other similar tactics you were going to do, I decided to just get some fish and chips to take away.

Before I had time to speak, you had already eaten your food, and something had quickly caught your eye. You were gone in a flash. I felt the need to scream, and scream louder. You needed to be spoken to.

I took one last bite of my fish, and left my meal on a park bench, and went dashing after you. You soon stopped, and I caught up.

I told you that I wanted to speak, yet you said leave it till later. I couldn't. I had intended you to go home tomorrow - and, I was pleased you were - so, I needed to speak to you tonight.

I told you how irritating you were, gently, not harshly, as I knew you was quite sensitive.

It was like getting blood out of stone.

It was like I hadn't spoken.

You shrugged my speech off, and went on your way. I growled in sheer irritation, and went after you. I wasn't giving up yet. Now, you were a tomboy, and I thought you may look good in something more feminine. I took you into a clothes shop - after finally getting your attention - and you quickly backed away, as if the shop was the devil. However, I, somehow, forced you in.

* * *

You growled in embarrassment. I had told you to wear a short sleeved, light blue, fitted dress. It ended to your ankles, and I had also told you to wear black high heels, and you had almost gone berserk. I took a glance outside, and realised it was a little dark. When I turned around, you had already kicked off the high heels.

To my annoyance.

* * *

Fortunately, you had kept the dress on, which made me feel slightly better.

I had sat myself down on a hillish area, looking at the setting sun. You were nearby, leaning against a tree trunk, with your arms folded. I finally spoke and said if you thought the sunset looked nice. You nodded. I sighed, and started to explain to you what I wanted. I told you that you were uncontrollable, and very irritating. Once again, speaking gently, but this time I was more serious. I stood up, and said if you changed into a more feminine female, and was more understanding and kind. Not a rebellious person you were. To be a little bit more like Cream - although you did not know the rabbit, I used Cream as an example - but not _too_ much like her. I also explained Cosmo's personality. I told you you needed to be more easy to control, and to think not just about yourself but others.

Yet, I hadn't realised my mouth had been moving too long.

You seemed to have got impatient, and wanted me to zip it, but did something surprising. You slammed your lips over mine, stopping me from speaking anymore. I was shocked. Why were you doing this? I thought a few possible reasons why. You could either be forcing me to be quiet, showing you actually did care for others, or this other feeling: love.

Involuntarily, I returned the affection. Then, wondered what I was doing. I almost hated you for who you were, yet I was showing you such affection. Did I really hate you?

Finally, we broke apart, and you smirked cheekily saying that was pretty fine. I had to agree with you, yet couldn't speak any longer. What was wrong with me?

I opened my eyes, and watched yours for a short while, until you looked at something else that had caught your attention. Before I could say anything, you had gone to check it out.

I sighed.

I couldn't change you. I loved you the way you were. I just hadn't seemed to realise that, until now.


	33. Sonic, Amy and Shadow

**GOLAUD**

**By**

**Herr Wozzeck**

* * *

**An electric shock.**

**A great deal of pain that could never be endured, even by the metallic objects surrounding him.**

**Tears of blood, masked by a leather object.**

**The slightest twitch of a muscle.**

**The shortest flashback in human history, one that was so short not even an editor for a film could recreate so many scenes with such frightening speed and precision.**

**And finally, a light so bright it shamed the sun.**

**A light so bright, the only thing that could possibly have followed was a darkness without rival.**

* * *

It had been ages since Shadow had seen Amy; ages still since he had been able to talk to her on a person-to-person basis instead of just looks at each other from the field of battle. Needless to say, the black hedgehog was rather looking forward to these next few months, just to catch up with old times.

The black hedgehog had been informed of a rather long get-together by Rouge that would be taking place at a rather small beach resort; Tails and Sonic had apparently rented a few places there and were getting everybody to come on over for the summer. Of course, it would end the instant Eggman began to act up again, but that was very unlikely as the evil doctor had been getting less and less active for some reason that nobody could seem to figure out. Some figured it was because he was getting old; others, because he was getting tired of being defeated by the same people every time.

Shadow tried not to worry about it. He was just keen on catching up with friends, despite how reluctant he had been to go into this vacation in the first place what with this vacation being held by his arch-rival (of all people).

The hedgehog had been walking around aimlessly on the beach, the sands sifting underneath each step of his feet as he looked around the beach, watching as the people were busy playing around with either the sand or the water.

A certain pink hedgehog finally caught his eye, however, and then he noticed Amy Rose standing by the docks, staring out into the sea with a dreamy haze over her eyes. She was gazing out at a cruise ship that was far in the distance, emerald eyes shining. Shadow made his way over to the girl, and he was only right next to her when the female hedgehog finally regarded his presence.

"Oh, Shadow!" shouted the girl, a bright smile on her face as she regarded him. "How've you been?"

"I've been fine, thanks," replied Shadow, his head dipping forward just a little. "What's with the dreamy look?"

"Oh, Shadow, you wouldn't believe it!" cried Amy gleefully, her smile intensifying ever so slightly as she jumped up excitedly. "Sonic's finally going to take me on a date!"

The black hedgehog raised one of his brows as he heard this statement from Amy. "So he's finally relented, huh?" asked Shadow, a smirk forming on his face. "About time he took a hint, don't you think?"

"H-hey!" replied Amy, a little offended at this stab at Shadow's rival. "Don't say that!"

"Well, what can I say?" asked Shadow. "He was stubborn enough before; I'm pretty sure that won't change any time soon."

Amy simply pouted and looked out to the ship that she had been watching. Shadow simply looked at the ship as well, scarlet eyes tracing the ship as it moved along the water.

"This time's gonna be different, I know it," replied the female hedgehog rather plaintively. "After all, I'm usually the one who comes to him."

"Hm," said Shadow indifferently. "We'll see how that works..."

"Yep," replied the pink hedgehog as the two of them looked on at the ship.

They looked on at the ship for quite a while, ruby and emerald both gazing after the vehichle for quite some time. Finally, Shadow looked at Amy again, bright crimson now a little softer in character.

"You know, Amy, I always wondered why Sonic didn't notice your willpower," said the black hedgehog plaintively. "I think that's a great thing about you; you never give up."

"You think so?" asked the female hedgehog, jade eyes lighting up in appreciation.

"Yes," replied Shadow, grateful that his black fur was covering a slight blush that was forming in his cheeks. "Probably also why you get along so well with Sonic."

"Aw, thanks..." replied the girl, her own blush showing through her pink fur.

The female hedgehog suddenly snapped out of her reverie, though, and the blush instantly dissapeared as she realized something.

"Oh, no!" she said, looking at the setting sun before turning around with a heavy air of startled realization permeating her movements. "I'm gonna be late for my date!"

Amy wasted no time in running out of the beach, shouting incoherent speech at Shadow as she rushed off, leaving the black hedgehog the slightest bit surprised. He had come to expect such behavior out of the pink hedgehog, however, so the surprise quickly wore off and a genuine smile was worn on his lips.

* * *

**Pain at the bottom.**

**Cries of pain mingling sickeningly with grunts and groans of pleasure.**

**A horribly hard matress that didn't cushion the air, let alone two bodies.**

**The heavy musk of sweat and non-consensual sex.**

**A row of bars just a few feet away, with a toilet and sink right by the things that barred wonderful freedom.**

**The coppery taste of blood.**

**The darkness that resulted from eyelids, screwed shut from unwilling contact.**

* * *

A few weeks had gone by in the crew's vacation. Everybody was having a great time, and things could not have looked better for anybody.

At least, for anybody but Sonic. His relationship with Amy was really beginning to take off after he had realized his own feelings for her. Their dates had always been fun, he had always enjoyed every little thing about Amy that he was only just finding out, he was really entertaining Amy, and they were both getting very much in love.

And yet, looking at Amy and Shadow having a nice conversation along the pool from the darkness of his hotel room, he couldn't help but feel that something was very wrong with the way things were.

He had asked Rouge and Tails both about Amy and Shadow, and both gave him the same answer; nothing was going on between them. And yet, seeing the black hedgehog with his now-girlfriend was stirring a strange kind of emotion that Sonic had never felt before and never thought he would feel; jealousy.

The fact that the timing of this could not have been worse augmented this negative feeling. He had been trying forever to hide his true feelings from Amy, and once he realized his own feelings for the hedgehog she began to hang out a lot more often with... with his arch-rival, of all people! There were plenty of things for him to suspect, and anger worked into his feelings as much as jealousy did.

But more than anything, it was the look in each others' eyes that happened whenever they talked about one another that gave Sonic all the reason to believe that Amy Rose was cheating on him. And Sonic feared it would overtake him to a point that he could never return from.

It was already beginning to speak more for himself; he had begun to grow increasingly violent with Amy, almost to the point that after some particularly violent encounters the blue hedgehog was banging his head against the wall in frustration, not at Amy but at himself for being such a terrible, terrible boyfriend. Sonic had begun to hate himself for this despite all his best efforts to keep his jealousy in check; none of them worked.

To this end, he had planned a small departure for himself and Amy from this vacation. They would just be going to a different part of town for a couple of weeks; nothing permanent, and Tails was more than happy to let the cobalt hedgehog use his workshop as a place to stay. It would be more quality time for each other, it would be great fun, and most of all maybe it would get Sonic to forget these feelings he had been feeling. And hopefully, it would be the boost he needed to keep himself from going too far.

At the moment, though, he was left staring down on Shadow and Amy from his spot in his hotel room, emerald eyes squinted in a strange mixture of sunlight and the mildest amounts of rage. He would tell Amy first thing when she got back to the room before their next date.

* * *

**Disgusting food that did not deserve to be eaten even by rats.**

**Guards that hounded the prisoners like hawks, waiting for their prey to make one mistake before they went in for the kill.**

**The acrid smell of vomit from somewhere in the corner.**

**The feeling of being scrunched in between two burly men, the one a rapist and the other a thief.**

**Sounds of disgruntled conversation filled with language that would make most concerned parents pale in shock.**

**A violent contrast of orange against white, not helped by the fact that the orange was always moving.**

**Darkness that seemed to trail on the shadows of everybody in the room, despite the brightly lit room.**

* * *

Sonic moved slowly in the forest, his eyes tracing every movement from his girlfriend as she advanced into the forest of mangroves that was just down the beach she had been walking down.

They were supposed to be going off on their little trip, but when Amy said she had needed to say goodbye to somebody he grew heavily suspicious. He never thought he'd be following Amy like she used to follow him around all the time, but as he gripped the table knife in his hand and slinked as quietly as he could he realized how ironic everything was. The instant he stopped for Amy to catch up, she went right around him and began chasing another person. Sonic was sure of what it was this time; he had come to cement everything with a layer of cement.

The moon was not out that night; the clouds above and the multitude of lights in the distance made sure that only a few stars were visible. This gave the impression of too much darkness, and it meant Sonic had a hard time following Amy.

That changed when she suddenly noticed the form of Shadow sitting close by the shoreline, the black hedgehog's eyes cast on a distant point over the ocean. Sonic noticed him too, and hid as well as he could so he could watch the two of them talk.

"You've kept me waiting," said Shadow softly as soon as he noticed Amy.

"I know," said Amy as she walked over. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," replied the black hedgehog as Sonic's eyes began to simmer with uncontrollable rage. Only then did Shadow's eyes look directly at the female hedgehog right next to him. "I just had some... things I wanted to say before you left with Sonic."

Amy simply nodded, leaning against one of the mangrove trees as the black hedgehog spoke. "What's up?" she asked.

The rest of the ebony hedgehog's body turned so that it faced Amy, the hedgehog's head shifting just the slightest bit as his whole body moved. When he faced Amy, Shadow began.

"I just wanted to say that I've always held you in high regard," he said. "I remember when you got me to save the world how much you reminded me of her. And being with you these past few weeks... I just want to say that I'm surprised that the faker off in the hotel didn't know what he was missing until just now."

Amy giggled lightly at this, but this came as a huge blow to Sonic's ego. The fact that Amy found something amusing about it was angering the blue hedgehog even more than he usually would be, however, and he somehow got a sexual connotation out of this sentence as well.

"Well, I don't know, Shadow," said Amy with a shrug. "Is there something else?"

The ultimate life form simply crossed his arms in front of the white tuft on his chest as he smiled. "Yes," said Shadow. "But I'm not sure words are sufficient to say it."

With this said, the black hedgehog leaned in close to his rose-colored companion, and his lips touched down on Amy's cheek ever so tenderly. The lips were only there for a few seconds before they removed themselves, a great blush having taken form on Shadow's cheeks that managed to show through the dark fur.

"S-shadow..." said Amy, blushing just a little.

By this point, however, Sonic had seen enough to the point that his blood was brought to a boil.

What happened next occurred so quickly that Sonic himself did not know how it happened. In an instant, Sonic had let out a yell, and not even Shadow's speed could save him from the knife that plunged itself into his skin over and over again. Sonic figured Amy had begun to run at some point during the knife's brutal ravaging of Shadow's body, but the cobalt hedgehog simply threw his knife. Before he could see where the knife had gone, somebody had kicked him in the back of the head, knocking him out cold as a harsher darkness than before took hold of his conscious.

* * *

**A quiet murmuring of spectators, some scribbling things on notepads and others taking pictures.**

**The impassioned testimony of somebody standing in a small elevated box.**

**A silence that followed when a group of people left the room to argue.**

**The equal hush that followed their return with thei point of view.**

**Guilty of the charges laid before him.**

**The harsh bang of the gavel, the final blow having been dealt.**

**Finally, the darkness that overcame his mood when he was led out of the room, his head hanging down and his eyes threatening to overflow with tears.**

* * *

Quite some time later, Sonic had been treated to quite a bout of bitching from Rouge about it all. Sonic had killed Shadow the Hedgehog, that was sure, and the way Rouge had talked down to him the cobalt hedgehog was actually surprised that Rouge did not try to kill him right there.

Instead, he was placed back in his hotel room, where Amy lay dying on her bed. Rouge and Tails had both left the room at this point. The two-tailed fox's prognosis had not been good; he said that Amy would die within the hour, even with the treatment the fox had tried to get to her. Now, Sonic sat in a chair, just a little glum about this development but somehow feeling very, very detached from everything that was going on. His girlfriend was going to die within the hour, and yet, somehow he didn't feel any different at all.

Now, Sonic had the opportunity to talk to Amy.

"Amy..." he began softly.

"Sonic... Why...?" asked the pink hedgehog.

Sonic sighed, shifting in his chair.

"Amy, I want you to be perfectly honest with me here," he said, emerald eyes gazing over her as he spoke. "What was going on with Shadow?"

"We were just... talking... There was nothing going on..." replied the pink hedgehog.

Sonic shook his head, gazing down at Amy.

"Damn it, Amy, you know I saw that kiss he gave you!" he exclaimed, trying not to raise his voice in his anger. "Just, tell me the truth!"

"The truth?" asked Amy.

Sonic sighed, wondering whether Amy was really that dense or she really did have nothing to hide. "Yes," said the cobalt hedgehog. "I noticed you hung out with Shadow a lot. Please, Amy, just tell me the truth already; was there something going on between you two that you didn't want me to know about?"

"W... What are you saying...?" asked the pink hedgehog. "Are you saying... I'm a slut...?"

"Damn it Amy!" shouted Sonic, standing up and waving his arms in frustration. "You chase me around for god knows how many years, and the instant I take you out on dates you turn start hanging out with Shadow more than you do with me! Damn it, Amy, be true with me here! Was there something going on between you and Shadow?" At Amy's conemplative silence, the cobalt hedgehog had to fight the urge to shake the shouders of the one he thought he loved. "Answer me, Amy!"

A tense silence filled the room, the only thing more piercing being the darkness that the room was plunged in. Amy's ragged breathing was the only sound that was heard, and Sonic's impatience began to grow slightly at this.

"There was nothing..." replied Amy at length. "What's wrong... with just being friends...? Shadow... might have gotten something... but I never swayed... I always loved you..."

At this, Sonic's emerald eyes began to widen at the realization that she would not be the type to hold secrets with her to the grave. As this thought crossed her mind, she continued.

"I thought you cared for me, Sonic... I can't believe you would do this... because you thought Shadow and I were... you know... Why...? Why all... this? Why the death? Why the backstabbing? Why??"

Amy's reply crushed her boyfriend, and soon after she began bombarding him with that one phrase, he fell to the bed, sobbing by one of Amy's arms as he held the arm with all he hd. At this moment, Tails came back in the room, a great shaft of light penetrating the room as Sonic cried on the bedsheets.

"Why...?" asked Amy again.

"Damn it, Sonic, don't let her talk!" shouted Tails as he entered the room, dual tails swishing violently as he entered, the lights in the room coming on quickly and dousing the room in a bright golden glow. "You'll kill her faster that way!"

Sonic simply shook his head, sobbing into the bedsheets as Amy continued to pester her own question on the blue-tinted hedgehog.

"It doesn't matter anymore..." said Sonic between sobs. "I... I already killed her..."

Amy could have sworn he had added a curse under his breath after this sentence. The blue hedgehog, meanwhile, was deriding himself in his head for such foolishness.

Soon after, Amy Rose died quietly, with only her boyfriend and his friend with two tails to watch. Sonic was barely able to comprehend anything after that; he had just done the unthinkable, and for a completely stupid reason as well. The hedgehog couldn't believe himself; he could barely believe that he had killed his own girlfriend, and in such cold blood as well when all she had given him was her love for as long as he had known her.

In the end, Sonic was hopelessly destroyed; there was nothing in the world that could assuage **the empty feeling that overcame him as he grieved the death of his girlfriend.**

**The feel of his friend's hands massaging his shoulders as he cried.**

**The sounds of the police rushing up to catch the perpetrator. Sonic made no attempt to resist as they carried him away; one of the soldiers actually noticed that he moved his hands in place for them to handcuff just before they entered the room.**

**The sound of a police van heading towards the prison compound.**

**The bright light at the compound as he was led inside; the light hurt his eyes that were still producing tears aplenty. He again made no attempts to resist as they threw him in a cell; he knew he deserved the worst these people could dole out.**


	34. Madhog's Top 10 Best Characters

We all have our favorite characters… It's time to show you mine.

* * *

**Top 10 Best Videogame Characters:**

You are probably going to disagree with this list but, ehi that's ok, anyone should have his / her own ideas about certain things… Anyway, for this one I'm going to choose only one character per franchise (as I always do) and only from games I've personally played (therefore don't freak out when you won't see any Cloud or Dante in it), and ultimately, the choices will be influenced not only by personal liking but also by the characters' personalities, uniqueness and the overall impact they had on the fans… Let's get started:

**10) Leon S. Kennedy (Resident Evil series)**

Whether trying to survive a zombie infested city on his first day as a police agent or saving the president's daughter from a deranged cult, there's no denial that Mr. Leon "FREEZE! I said, FREEZE!!" Kennedy has earned his undeniable spot in videogames' history. In my opinion he is the best kickass hero in the whole RE franchise… And there are clear proves of it: not only RE 4 was all the way better than RE 5, but his direct rival in popularity, Chris Redfield needed the help of a partner in order to survive the final showdown with Albert Wesker… Leon was on his freaking own against more enemies of every shape and size and with cooler weapons! Sorry Chris… Wesker is mad at you, go hide behind your partner.

**9) Lucario (Super Smash Bros. Brawl)**

To this very day, I have enormous difficulties in accepting the fact that this super powerful blue jackal is… A bloody pokèmon! Lucario's debut in the SSB series was the apotheosis of Ass kicking-ness, with his cool kung fu moves, his cool energy beams and his superior being-like attitude… Not to mention his unique ability of becoming stronger the more he's beaten by his opponents; but truly stated the quality difference from the other brawlers was his Final Smash: a uber pawning Kamehameha-like super energy beam that automatically guarantees victory with the highest level of pawnage ever! Oh, and it could be redirect at his pleasure, which is something that even Goku couldn't do! Ehi Fox, what does the scouter say about Lucario's power level? IT'S OVER 9000!!! Overused but still LoL.

**8) Guybrush Threepwood (Monkey Island series)**

The original lad who wanted to become a pirate… It all started with him. The Monkey Island series defined not only how "point & click" adventure games should have been, but also the way pirates would have be seen, and I'm talking about Jack Sparrow and the whole bloody "Pirates of the Caribbean" trilogy. Accompanied by genuine random forth wall breaking humor, memorable gags and sentences, the most famous would be pirate in gaming history always ended up fighting his arch nemesis, the ghost / zombie / demon pirate LèChuck and pursuing the love of his life, governor Elaine Marley (which happened to be also LèChuck's love interest), in the magnificent scenario of the Caribbean, populated with deranged stereotypical buccaneers, average cursed islands, three-headed monkeys and dancing skeletons! If you love the classics, then be sure to gift yourself with this great series… And its unforgettable main character, who's tongue will always be sharper than his (missing) sword.

**7) Sam & Max (Sam & Max Hit the Road / Sam & Max Season series)**

Some random phones is ringing somewhere… A dog-like detective answers it after an epic struggle with his rabbity thing-like friend. The Commisioner is on the other end of the line, commissioning to the two self-proclaimed freelance police officers yet another baffling case, which Sam would immediately accept after one of his random exclamations, the likes of: "Holy crazed Mormons eating human flesh on a barbecue stick!" And then, armed with Sam's ever so logical approach over seemingly illogical concepts and Max's thirst for human blood, they would always prevail over the forces of Evil and save the day… With just a few unimportant casualties. Originally born as underground comic book characters, their original, Steve Purcell, which also happened to be a videogame designer for the Lucasarts, managed to give them a surprisingly rich fandom thanks to their videogames and their "kids adapted" animated series… And could possibly be cooler than a crazed rabbity-thing with maniacal issues as U.S. president? Oh yes… You read it right. DEATH FROM ABOVE!!!

**6) Max Payne (Max Payne series)**

Never a name has been more appropriated than the one of the most suffering videogame character ever conceived. Since his family has been decimated by a bunch of junky thugs, the life of this NYC detective has been the 5th essence of Living Hell… Through tormented memories and disfiguring dream sequences, we learn of his inner sorrow with the same precision of a hard boiled / noir graphic novel… And it exactly looks like it in the memorable hand drawn cut-scenes. There is only one thing left that keeps him alive… His revenge! His chosen path will be filled with rivers of blood and decaying corpses as he would relentlessly kill all the responsible of his pain… All New York's criminals and politics, apparently. Bottom line is: Max Payne is awesome… But the movie sucked big dinosaur's balls, so avoid that bullet, if you can.

**5) Klonoa (Klonoa series)**

The first time I laid my eyes on this curious kid, I was baffled and surprised… He reminded me of a Sonic characters, among other things. Now that I have had the chance to play one of his games, I found him to be one of the coolest and cutest characters in gaming history! First of all, let's analyze his appearance: he is a curious mix between a cat and rabbit (which made me think of the legendary Cabbit of the American folklore), I could also see the entire Japanese tradition of anthropomorphic animals behind his aspect, among that, he wears a Pac-Man hat! A Pac-Man hat, for crying out loud! That's the coolest hat any videogame character could ever wear! Now, for his abilities… He is depicted as a "dream traveler", whether dreams are entire worlds made of other dreams (which happened to be near part of what I usually write in my stories), but what really makes the difference from other side-scrolling platforms games (aside the peculiar 2.5D rendering) is the fact that his entire game play is based on using enemies as items… Not only he had to catch and inflate them with his wind bullets as if they were balloons, but he had to use them as weapons against other enemies, devices to solve genuine puzzles or impromptu power-ups that made him jump higher and reach otherwise unreachable places… And that's something I don't see other characters doing, which made him even more unique. Plus… He is dreadfully adorable (which makes me shake in fear) and stands in my mind as the undeniable icon of gaming fandom… Remember the Pac-Man hat?

**4) Ocelot (Metal Gear series)**

Yes I know… Ocelot is not Solid Snake but that's just how great of a character he is… Because until the very end of MGS 4, we can never truly know or understand him and his intentions. He is the most complicated and fascinating villain ever imagined, with his Russian cowboy-like style, his Custer-like mustache, his revolvers always spinning through his fingers like wheels and his variable moods… He debuted as a sparring villain is the first MGS, only to slowly increase his undeniable importance in the second and third episode and finally revealing himself to be the main villain of the entire series… Only to understand that he was not. His best hobbies are: backstabbing, free demonstrations of his abilities with his guns, continuously changing style and, most of all, being a double (or should I say, triple) agent in every single game. Try to find another character like him… Oh wait, you can't! He would make the Joker cry like a little baby! The regular Joker not the Heath Ledger's, naturally.

**3) Kratos (God of War series)**

What could possibly be cooler then playing the role of a cursed, vengeful fallen God who's ultimate goal is the demise of ALL of the Olympian Gods? With his herculean strength, his agility, his hack 'n' slack badass weapons, his rented Godlike powers and his tragic past (which only makes him angrier), Kratos is the total package of ultimate gaming pawnage, not to mention Zeus's worst nightmare! The End begins…

**2) Link (The Legend of Zelda series)**

Aaaah, yes… I guess there is no need for me to talk about the sheer awesomeness of this silent hero and his legendary gaming performances, since I've already praised him in the "Best Videogames" section, so let's just skip to number one… Which won't really be a surprise.

**1) Miles "Tails" Prower (Sonic the Hedgehog series)**

He might always have been the number two in Sonic's games, but on this list he is the number one! Why, you may ask? Yes, he is my favorite character and yes, he has inspired me in ways I couldn't even imagine… But so did to all of his millions of fans around the globe. This is maybe the first time that a character made to be just a sidekick for the main hero, turns out to be so important for the collective imagination. Over the years, we have had so many different version of the two-tailed fox boy, through legendary 90's animated series, old school games, comics and anime, and they all managed to inspire people in so many different ways I can't count… If you don't believe me, check out all the Tails's fictions on this site, it will give you the basic idea. The best part is that, no matter the awful floundering of the Sonic franchise, or the lame way SEGA has treating his credibility, his true personality will always be what his fans single handedly would want it to be. Aside from this fanboyish rant, there are also other (more reliable reasons) for him to be the number one on this list… He is one of the most original characters ever designed, clearly inspired from Japanese folklore's legendary Kitsune, and he had two tails which made him fly! Yes, we have several foxes or fox-like people nowadays (am I right, Naruto?) but tell me, how many Kitsune did you see in manga and anime before his first appearance? Not too many, isn't it? He also redefined how a real sidekick should have been: a fighter with his own abilities who could keep up with the hero and not just a whiner version of him (am I right, Luigi?), and plus, he was also cuter… How many cute sidekicks do you see nowadays? Too many, perhaps… For all these reasons, our favorite 8-years old, two-tailed foxy boy genius, is the rightful number one of this list and if you're not down with that… Then prepare yourself for the Tornado, egg-butts!

* * *

Hope you enjoyed… What are your favorite characters, anyway? Would you like to share that thought? Then contact me and send me your personal list complete with descriptions and motivations… It will be shown on this very collab for everyone else to know.

See you in there.

Madhog thy Master 3:16. 


	35. Master Metallix's Top 5 Best Characters

Master Metallix sent me his own list of favorite videogame characters, so here it is... It's an interesting choice, indeed.

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* * *

**

**5) Tails Doll (Sonic R):**

It's different from everyone else even more than usual, and then there's the "Tails Doll Curse" meme... and I like a good challenge, so I have a fic that makes it act like a childish doll. (And yes, I know I haven't updated in months. There's no need to remind me.)

**4)Tonberry (Final Fantasy X):**

It slowly steps forward, closer and closer, and you know there's nothing you can do before it stabs you with that knife... Doink! And if you try, the burning souls of everyone you've ever killed are fired at you from that lantern. Karma's a **!

**3) Nero (Devil May Cry 4):**

He's a badass right there in Dante's league, and I find his gameplay simpler and easier to work with, without sacrificing power. There was little more satisfying to me in this game than using a Buster against a boss and watching them get beaten, slashed, impaled, and just plain pwned.

**2) Jack (Bioshock):**

You get to wield weapons from the 1960s to shoot a bunch of genetically mutated drug addicts, and you get to find random chemicals and inject them into your veins for no apparent reason, only to throw lightning bolts and other special powers. Add to that the Little Sisters and his past, and then you'd see what the world is like without morals. A perfect horror shooter which I'd recommend to anyone.

**1) Scorpion (Mortal Kombat series):**

My first Ultimate Fatality in "Mortal Kombat: Armageddon" was with him, and he just kicks ** so easily in any game he appears in. He takes off his mask to reveal a skull (in other games, because Armageddon replaced the unique Fatalities DX), yet his arms aren't skeletal... I wonder why. Sub-Zero is my second choice because frozen enemies sustain less damage, the only serious flaw with him in this game.

* * *

If you would like to have your own list published here, do as M2 did (because he's smart) and send it to me.


	36. Wirewolf's Top 5 Best Characters

This lady has a taste for gratuitous violence and wanton destruction... But then again, who doesn't?

I decided to add my own personal comments to this list... I guess I'll do it from any list I'll receive from now on.

**

* * *

**

**5) Shadow the Hedgehog (Shadow the Hedgehog):**

To tell the truth , it's only because i get some strange joy by just  
destroying every thing I can, and I love the fact that he can run, jump ect.  
with a huge bazooka.

**Madhog thy Master 3:16 says: **Nothing spells "Ultimate Life Form" like delivering ultimate forms of pwnage by shooting a gatlin machine gun twice your side aimlessly to random enemies at super sonic speed... That's one of the reason we all love that adorable, lonely, mass murderer, badass biped rodent... Which is not emo. Emos are part of his diet!

**4) Kratos (God of War series):**

Where to start. The fact he can take down giant sea serpents, rip zombies in  
half and bloody stab through a minotaur head. Does it for me.

**Madhog thy Master 3:16 says: **And he's after the whole Olympian Pantheon, don't forget that! Nothing can match the sheer wrath of this one-man-army mythological freaks' slayer... Not even the gruesomest 300 joke.

**3) Hummer (Grand Theft Auto 4):**

Hehe. I can still here thier screams as I ran them down. I know it's  
technally not a character, but those cars etc. had their own personalities, if you can  
tell I like destruction.

**Madhog thy Master 3:16 says: **The fact that you like to play GTA does not need any further comment... Just try not to roll any innocent hooker, they're important bricks to the entire fabric of our member-centered society... Roll the pimps, instead.

**2) Master Chief (Halo series):**

He's Master Chief, what else is there to say.

**Madhog thy Master 3:16 says: **I just whipped your ass... Errr, I mean, yes.

**1) Crash Bandicoot (Crash Bandicoot series):**

He's a Bandicoot. Ive gotta stick with my fellow country men. He has a  
Tag-a-long sidekick thats not annoying. And he can smash things pretty well.

**Madhog thy Master 3:16 says: **Having a sidekick that doesn't provide you a headaching amount of annoyingness, is a great result per-se... Too bad, the main character has become quite annoying in his latest games... As far as I can tell. Oh well, at least in "Evil Twilns" I got to ride Neo Cortex like a snow board... Sweeeeeeeeet!

* * *

Keep 'em coming!


	37. Madhog's Top 5 Moments of Pwnage

This next one is a list that anyone should have.

**Top 5 Moments of Pwnage in a videogame:**

If there is one thing we can all appreciate in a videogame, is the sensation of sheer pwnage and dominance that pervades us every time an enemy is defeated in the most spectacular and kickass way conceivable… Those peculiar moments that make you say: "You got pwned!" and perform a ridiculous tea bag dance in obvious sign of your disfiguring geekiness. This list is a collection of my favorite 5 moments in that specific category and the badass characters that performed them. As always, I'll have just one pick per franchise… Let the gratuitous display of punishment begin!

**5) Final Blows (The Legend of Zelda series):**

We all love and admire Link, our favorite hero in a green cap and his ridiculous amount of items and weapons. In his games there is room for plenty of cool looking devices able to transport your ugly enemies into an oblivion of torment and suffering death… But none of them can match the sheer awesomeness of finishing your incapacitated adversaries through unforgiving sword impalement! It doesn't matter if you're a simple pawn or a dungeon boss… You all are to going to suffer the same sharp fate, you're all going to get pwned by the indomitable badass blade of the Master Sword… Killing Ganondorf is so fulfilling. Freaking sword of ultimate punishment through his sternum or forehead… Just classic.

**4) Lucario's Final Smash (Super Smash Brothers Brawl):**

I've already mentioned in a previous list how cool Lucario was in this game (despite being a Pokèmon and all), and how astoundingly kickass was his super duper owning energy beam-like final smash… You just need to see it to truly understand what I mean.

**3) The Darkness's Powers (The Darkness):**

The Darkness was my very first game for the PS3 and, as you could tell, this huge FPS/RPG game left a huge impact in my own "Pwnage Meter 3000" … Mutilating careless enemies has never been so fun! The things you could do in that game were simply outstanding! You could sneak to your adversaries with a hellish snake, kill them and devour their hearts to gain experience and new colorful powers; you could impale them with your dark appendage or even unleash an uber powerful black hole and absorb their useless carcasses… In that game, Fear and excruciating painful Death were your sidekicks… Not to mention your own colorful group of dark minions, ready to unleash their wrath (as well as their namesake random humor) over your unfortunate victims. That's… Freaking… Awesome… In a dark way, of course.

**2) Ultimate shooting frenzy with giant machine gun (Shadow the Hedgehog):**

Aaaah yes, as I said before, this game rocks, rolls and own people's posterior for good. If there is something we don't usually see in a platform (especially not from this franchise) is weapons… Tons and tons of uber destructive weapons ready to deliver your customizable amount of pwnage to anything that moves! Shadow the Hedgehog doesn't care if you're a disgusting out-of-my-way alien or a corny human military, all he cares about is the Truth… And to unleash ultimate whooping to the suicidal fools who dares to lie a foot on his ultimate path of unspecific vengeance! The whole game play is filled with memorable display of carnage: shooting at super sonic speed, destroying the environment, rolling enemies with fancy vehicles in GTA style or even sucking them up with… A rooster vacuum gun? That's simply hilarious! Among this cluster, however, there is something that definitely captured my heart… And my taste for wanton destruction. When you manage to retrieve the one weapon I personally dubbed "Queen of Pwning" from the rests of giant G.U.N. battle mech and actually use it. In my view, nothing says "ultimate" like going on a super sonic rampage with a monstrous Gatlin machine gun that is freaking twice your side (which is cool and badass), unleashing unforgiving loads of bullets towards your pitiful opposition… Try beating the "G.U.N. Fortress" level with that weapon and you'll know what I mean. This videogame is the living proof that Chaos powered hedgehog + uber weapons = MASSACRE!!! Family game my ass…

**1) Eye Impalement (God of War):**

As you all should know, the Greek Mythology was wrong about several things: the Gods were deceptive and cruel, the Titans have been misunderstood and Hercules didn't kill the legendary Hydra… Kratos did, and in the most violent and badass fashion ever conceived by deranged human mind! Using just his trademark Blades of Chaos and his sheer strength he managed to FREAKING impale the FREAKING monster in the FREAKING wood pole of a rotten ship… Through its FREAKING eye! It died in utter and unconceivable pain, making the remaining heads explode like fireworks, fireworks of FREAKING blood! And the best part is… Those were just the first 20 minutes of the FREAKING game! This, my friends, is the most pwning thing I've ever seen in my gaming life! A mythological beast's impalement… Can anyone top that giant shish-kebab? I don't think so… Nobody pwns like a Spartan, that is for sure! THIS IS GOD OF WAR!!!

Hope you enjoyed my rather embarrassing display of fanboysm.


	38. Void and Blaze

A barren blurry wasteland lay upon the eyes of the damned; a mocking unclearness hit his viewing sight with the sheer force of a Banshee's cry, taking his own soul with it… Such was what people usually experience before dying or when they know they are about to die. The blurriness was now completely covered in red as the damned's eyes mercilessly bled their way into painful blindness. Crimson liquid spurred out of his mouth, bathing his feeble body with it; his knees finally gave up, bringing the rest of his incapacitated corpse on the ground within a deaf thud of un-peaceful rest. The several bullet wounds completed their task.

Another unfortunate soul has reached its final destination after a pitifully failed attempt to rob a bank during daylight, once again proving that Man has no control over his own destiny…

_**I do.** _Thought the God of Death right after closing his personal notebook; the man's name written on it just 40 seconds before his departure.

* * *

**VOIDNESS OF THE GODS:**

**THE SHINIGAMI EDITION**

* * *

**How to use a Death Note:**

**1.**

_**The person who's name shall be written on this notebook will die. It is possible to determine how a person will die and the actions he or she could do before dying, however, if only his or her name will be written on the note without any further detail, the individual will die via heart attack 40 seconds after the writing… The death will not occur if the one who wrote the name doesn't know the victim's face.**_

* * *

Twisted multi-eyed faces decorated the gangrened walls, constantly puking rivers of blood out of their mouths in an almost hypnotic fashion. The sickened air was filled with tormented screams and begs for mercy as a seemingly endless sea of putrefied body parts desperately tried to escape the gory ground they were locked in since the beginning of time itself. Humongous eye bulbs hanged from the ceiling, dangling against each other for reasons that went beyond comprehension… Probably out of pure boredom. They say that Hell is the nightmare of Reason… This place was just that, a constant and merciless attack to anything that even closely resembled Logic and Rationality. For its ruler, however, this diabolical mess was home.

He stood in the middle of this pandemonium, comfortably sat on his throne made of living, breathing (and still bleeding) flesh and bones; his prominent dark and gloomy features were the exact antithesis of the more "festive" environment he lived in. He was a strange creature with a big round, nose-less head, and greenish leaf-like, spiky hair. He wore a black vest made of some unearthly material and a long cloak of the same anti-color; his hands only had three clawed fingers each. The being of unknown origin looked extremely bored, the casual observer could tell (if there would ever be one, that is), his rotund head was placed on his right fist in the typical thinking position, his eyes were closed in deep meditation. There really wasn't anything much to do in that sick twisted realm other than getting bored and, occasionally, deciding about mortals' fate… It was the duty of a Shinigami, a God of Death, such as him, to administrate the life and death of the living creatures; he had the great responsibility of collecting the individual's soul when his or her time to die would arrive… It was a burden, a pain and overall, and ungrateful and boring job, but someone needed to do it and that someone was him. Needless to say, that was the reason of his seemingly endless boredom, the fact that he was basically stranded in that happy-go-lucky place forever without anyone else to speak, constantly watching the progression of the mortals' lives until their inevitable demise, over and over again… And speaking of which, his omniscient senses captivated another unfortunate soul ready to meet its maker. His eyes were wide open now, revealing the eternal nothingness of their features… Entire cosmos made of void stars lay in the seemingly endless darkness of his orbits. Without missing a breath, the Shinigami took his loyal notebook out of nowhere and began writing with a blood filled pen, the details of this individual's death.

_**Maria Robotnik, age 12, dies because of a bullet wound, right after her last tearful words.**_

So young and so innocent… Life is cruel, but perhaps Death will be generous with her.

The first times, he used to feel the pain of each and every person he forcedly killed, but then he inevitably grew accustomed to this necessary activity, letting the inevitable void to overcome his feelings, until it eventually became his own name.

He was Void, the chosen Grim Reaper, the Undertaker of souls… He was the holder of the Death Note, the Shinigami, forever doomed to solitude and namesake emptiness.

Gloomy indeed.

* * *

**How to use a Death Note:**

**2.**

_**The eyes of a Shinigami can see a person's real name and chosen date of death. Such ability can be borrowed by a mortal under the price of half of his/her living years… Unless the Shinigami itself wouldn't choose to willingly gift said mortal with its eyes.**_

* * *

It was one day like trillions he had over lived, when his namesake eyes posed themselves over one particular creature among millions… A female, anthropomorphic cat girl, with elegant purple fur, a trek of her hair tied up in the back of her head and astounding golden eyes that managed to melt Void's heart like nothing has ever done before in all of his eternal non-life. She was beautiful and angelic, in the Shinigami's mind... She was simply Chaos's gift to the universe. Even Gods could fall in love like high school students, apparently, but just like the next door nerd with his beautiful neighbor, he knew he didn't have a single chance with her and not just because of his gruesome appearance that often made him repulse, but also because of the uncrossing, undeniable borders that separated his dimension from her own. It was a pain beyond reason being so powerful and yet, so weak in front of a vain emotion like Love. His cosmic eyelids fixed themselves over the cat lady's image, who by now had overcome all the others, carefully reading the name that appeared right under her gorgeous face…

Blaze the Cat.

What an amusing, outstanding and rather appropriate name she had… It burnt him. A strange, somehow dreaming smile appeared on Void's lips as he watchfully watched the young feline's actions through his omniscient channeling vision, seemingly ignoring (or pretending to) the unmistakable date of her own death that was neatly written under her name.

Even Gods make mistakes, if driven by emotions.

* * *

**How to use a Death Note:**

**3.**

_**There is no known way to kill a Shinigami… Even though some of them might know it. **_

* * *

In just a matter of years (seconds for him), he learned everything about her… She was a fighter, a strong willed and determined woman with the ability of generating and controlling fire at her will… All things that only improved Void's feelings towards her. What had started as a crush had now become a full, burning, desire; he would have given up everything for her if he could: his immortality, his eternal youth looks, everything! But deep down his desperately built up veil of illusions, he knew that would have never happened. He knew she would have never loved him back simply because she would have never known about his existence… No mortal would.

Mortality was the key word. Despite his amazing efforts to pretend the opposite, he knew her date with destiny was dreadfully close and such knowledge was tearing him apart.

_**Why does she have to die? She's still so young… That's just not fair! **_

But the cruelty of Fate was deaf to Void's cries of despair. She was meant to die because that was her destiny and no one, not even a God, could fight against it… It was the Balance of the Universe; mortals were born with the sole purpose of living until they would die, whether of old age or, like this time, prematurely. It was both painful and utter ironic that the one who had to accomplish such task and kill the one person he loved, was the Shinigami himself.

A warm and wet substance began purring out of his once empty eyes… Its taste was bittersweet, like Death used to be, sometimes. In a matter of seconds, Void was openly crying his now blood red eyes out of pure angry sadness, smashing his fists over the living floor, which made it scream in pain but didn't convinced him to stop. As her angelic features once again crossed his sadly omniscient view, he understood what he had to do and slowly resumed a balanced and standing position. His tears had subsided; a look of bald determination replaced them as he once again sat on his suddenly uncomfortable throne and took the cursed symbol of his power, the Death Note. He calmly observed the scene in front of him, pen in hand, until the time of act finally arrived.

And thus he began writing his only love's fate on the unforgiving pages of his notebook.

_**Blaze the Cat, age 16, once having Iblis encased inside her body, miraculously survives auto-combustion and does NOT die!**_

And so… He did it. He violated the inviolable law of the Universe; he saved the cat girl from her pre-decided fate and he did it for Love… The most vain and yet, powerful, among emotions. He knew that the consequences of his selfish actions wouldn't have passed unobserved. The Balance needed to be restored and a life needed to be sacrificed.

As the rules written on the Death Note stated, there is no known way to kill a Shinigami, but on the other hand, there's nothing that would prevent a Shinigami to commit suicide… Saving a mortal's life had that consequence.

A life for a life, and the Balance was threatened no more.

As his once immortal body began to pulverize, no pain was felt in the process. Void was content with it, because he had sacrificed his life for the one he loved the most and, even though she would have never known about him, he couldn't possibly be more serene now that the end was finally here. Before departing, however, there was one last thing he needed to do in order to, at least spiritually, be with his love forever. He subconsciously smiled as his last thought crossed his mind right before disappearing…

_**I won't need these eyes anymore… Please, take it a gift from your secret admirer. Farewell, oh my Beatrix… I love you, Blaze.**_

And thus, he vanished within a colorful dusty wind… Leaving his throne for someone else to take over.

* * *

**How to use a Death Note:**

**Secret rule.**

_**The mortal who has been granted with the Shinigami's eyes by the God of Death's own will, is destined to become a Shinigami.**_

* * *

She sat on her throne, in the middle of that hellish pandemonium she'd been warped in right after trapping Iblis inside her body. She was a purple, female cat… And she looked extremely bored, as if something (or rather someone) important was missing in her life, even though she couldn't quite tell who. All of a sudden, her omniscient view captivated something and without missing a breath, she took her loyal notebook out of nowhere and began writing on it.

Someone, somewhere, died.

**The End**


	39. Madhog's Top 5 Boss Battles

I'm rather confident that some of you will eventually agree with this list… Or at least, part of it.

**Top 5 Boss Battles:**

You knew I was going to make this list, didn't you? The rules are the usual: I will only choose one pick per game and / or franchise. Without any further ado, let's get started.

**5) The Hydra (God of War):**

The utterly gory details of this sea serpent's ultimate pwning form of annihilation are reported in the previous list, therefore I'll just get to the point on this one. The Hydra is only the first boss in the game and yet, it's the one that truly makes you understand what kind of awesome things the main character, Kratos, in capable of and that, my friends, is what a boss fight is all about!

**4) Solidus Snake (Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of the Patriots):**

If you ever played a MGS game then you know boss fights are (just like the whole games) a matter of strategy, good timing and, most of all, patience… The final boss of Sons of Liberty, however, is nothing like that. It's a fast paced, spectacular uber sword fight on the top of Federal Hall, in which you have to think very, very fast, in order to avoid being mauled by either Solidus's double swords, metal tentacles and burning jet engine… Oh, and by the way, did I mention you aren't fighting with Snake here? Yes… It's Raiden… He is the main character in this game… And Solidus is the one who killed his parents and brought him into the battlefield when he was a child. It's a dramatic showdown, in case you didn't notice… A cool one, for a change. Too bad the cut-scenes are ridiculously long!

**3) All Dungeons' Bosses (The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess):**

Yep… All of the boss battles in this game are an absolutely amusing and spectacular experience, although fairly easy in my opinion. I couldn't possibly choose what the best boss was, but there was one thing all of them had in common: they all got pwned by my legendary sword of ultimate who's-your-daddy-ness! And the occasional indispensable item. Ta-na-na-na!

**2) Perfect Dark Gaia (Sonic Unleashed):**

Even though Sonic's games are suffering the impending sickness of a bad gaming bacteria, there's no denial that boss battles in his games are usually a full concentrated cocktail of fast paced awesomeness due to the speed of execution and, naturally, the oh so ever fitting music… Speaking of which, since Sonic switched to 3d (with the results we all know about), the final bosses are always accompanied with the main theme of their respective games, making even the lamest one feel like something astounding. As for my personal pick for this list, Dark Gaia is truly the total package (good music and great battle), I'm also going so far to say that its boss fight was the best and most difficult in Sonic's history, after the Doomsday Zone, of course. Before reaching this stage, you have to go through a fairly easy fight with Eggman's latest cheap ultimate robot and a long first phase of Dark Gaia in which you have to hit the ancient dragon-like lava snake with Chip's super powered stone giant, then you must hit one of his eyes with Sonic before the time expires… And then, he transforms and the REAL greatness begins! With Super Sonic you must destroy the monster's barrier by beating the 7 annoying tentacle heads that occasionally pop out of it, while trying to avoid Gaia's shots, random meteors that could kill you in three hits due to your limited life bar (that's right folks, no rings to collect here) and doing everything before your partner gets killed by Dark Gaia… I died 18 straight times before finally getting it right; now I could do it with my eyes folded but at the time it's been a phenomenal pain in the arse! Naturally, the orchestral version of the game's main theme rocked my gaming mood back and forth. This boss battle used to be my undeniable no. 1 choice… Until recently when I played a certain, little known game some of you may recognize, for the very first time… Here it is.

**1) Sephiroth (Final Fantasy VII):**

_**Estuans interius**_

_**ira vehementi**_

_**Estuans interius**_

_**ira vehementi**_

_**Sephiroth**_

_**Sephiroth**_

_**Estuans interius**_

_**ira vehementi**_

_**Estuans interius**_

_**ira vehementi**_

_**Sephiroth**_

_**Sephiroth**_

I did it… I managed to survive two bosses in a row, only to find myself face to face with Sephiroth's God form and I won… I actually beat him! At the first attempt, too!

I FREAKING WON! I survived all of his attacks, especially that Super Nova, which is the most exaggerated move in history… He destroyed the entire Milky Way with it… 4 times! If I didn't have 1 million items and uber evolved materia powers I would have never won, but I did… And it was amazing! All the game was the most profound and deep visual experience I've ever felt after some of my favorite movies, and the ending fitted perfectly. I won't say anything else about the game in case you didn't wanted to play it because you disliked RPGs (fools!), but if you did play it, then you definetely know what I'm talking about, soooooo… See you in the Lifestream!

P.S. If you don't like this list, I will omnislash your butt!


	40. Something different from the usual stuff

**A/N: this is a gaming review I've recently posted on and . I just wanted to share it with you too. On a side note, if you would like me to write a review on a specific game, let me know about and if I managed to play it, I'll gladly make one under request.**

**The game is "Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil".**

* * *

**Klonoa: Videogames' Veil**

**By**

**Madhog thy Master.**

* * *

If you're a hardcore gamer, or you claim yourself to be one, than you're probably into side scroller / platform games, which unfortunately happen to be a fading genre nowadays and only entities like Nintendo usually keep them in fresh production... Then, there is Klonoa, the dream traveler, the improvised young hero of multiple worlds he could reach through his dreams, just as we do, in essence, when we play games... We travel into mystical realms with their own unique characters, game plays and stories. The fact that Klonoa's trademark is his Pac-Man hat, only reinforce my opinion that he's basically the metaphorical symbol of videogaming fandom aka a reference point for us gamers, mostly hardcore. His games are a further proof of this idea: the first Klonoa game was released in 1997, an age already devoted to brand new 3D environmental statuses brought by games like Super Mario 64 and Final Fantasy VII, and yet, in this new age, Klonoa dared to be a side scroller... Not only that, his game managed to redefine the entire supposed-to-be-dead genre by the original invention of the 2.5D, which made the fundamentally 2D experience of the game deeper with the great add of a 3D rendering. Among the very courageous style, what really made this game great were two things, the original game play (which forced you to utilize your own enemies as fundamental items or power-ups in order to progress in the game) and, more on a personal level, the storyline. The games are usually depicted as kids' genuine material with enjoyable plots that would fascinate them to the point of commotion... But in truth, behind the subtle veil of a child's play, lie deeper and more profound analysis usually related to the never cleared difference between Reality and Dreams (something that is usually defined by a rather relative concept) and other adult themes such as hatred, betrayal and even... Death, which could just have been illusive, just like a dream.

With that said, here's the game I'm reviewing right now, Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil, the official sequel of the first game, released on PS2 at its first year and winner of several magazines' prizes including, "best PS2 game on its first year" or something like that.

Now this game is simply awesome! It has all the things that made this humble franchise great in the first game, only improved: the levels are longer and harder, the boss fights are unique, the enemy / power-ups has some fresh add (like super electric jumping or other enemies' assimilation), the story is better and the characters are deeper and better defined. This time, our cabbit hero finds himself in a mysterious world named Lunatea which happens to be separated in several reigns named after a particular feeling or emotion they're inhabitants used to be filled with: Tranquility, a peaceful realm ruled by a female-centric religious monarchy; Joy, an eternal amusing park; Rage (if I'm not mistaking), a country consumed by a never ending civil war; and Doubt, the xenophobe reign of indecision... By such depiction, we can already imagine Lunatea to be like a whole individual tormented with several psychological issues; and things only got worse when a 5th realm begins to appear seemingly out of nowhere, a sadly forgotten realm, Sorrow.

With Klonoa, Lolo, a shy would be priestess and Popka, a bizarre and in-your-face talking dog puppet thingamajig, you must go and ring the realms' respective bells and harness their elemental powers before the occasional power thirsty villain... But, naturally, narrative twists were just behind the proverbial veil, hence this game's title.

Despite the immense critical appraisement this game has received, it still managed to pass rather overlooked at its release, which is a total and utter shame considering the virtually limitless possibilities this franchise could have achieved, but instead of being treated with the respect it deserved, this original side scrolling experience remained nothing more than an anomaly covered (ironically enough) by the overwhelming veil of more successful and famous games... At least until Nintendo found something to say about it. If you have a Wii, then you should definitely play the brand new remake of the original Klonoa from 1997 and if you happen to own a PS2 (which you probably wouldn't have been so stupid to sell it), then you should go to and freaking buy yourself an amazing, Wisdom inducing copy of Lunatea's Veil and then, you shall thank me later.

Because dreams are what keep ourselves alive. Let's not forget them.

Waa-hoo and see you!

**Madhog thy Master 3:16.**


	41. Shadow and Amy

**DEEP SECRET**

**By**

**The Nevermore Raven**

* * * * * * *

_Now I am in trouble... How did I just let someone find out about this?_ In anxiety, I watched the pink rose before me as her sparkling emerald eyes widened, staring into my own rubies. "Shadow?" I glanced away in embarrassment, aware of her newly implied knowledge. _Now what? What will she think of me now? _I was caught in a dangerous balancing act above a bottomless pit, and I just fell off the wire... So much for effort. "Shadow? Why didn't you tell me this?" I heard the rose ask.

"Because, Amy. I didn't want you to know," I answered in my rich and smooth voice, a wry smile curving my tan lips. _How can I explain my way out of this mess? I doubt I can do that at all! _You may assume the mentioned secret is love. That is a good guess, but that isn't the secret; I hesitantly confessed my love to this rare flower a week or so ago. We were on our first date, and it was going wonderfully - until now.

I had been eyeing Rose for a while, but the entire time she was chasing her cobalt hero, which only incited my intense jealousy and disappointment. When they started dating, I felt terrible. Rouge was a viable option, and she would've been a good one, had she treated me less like a prize to seduce and more like a person. Once she realized that, and I am glad she did, she was with that red echidna. Love stinks.

Rose didn't feel emotionally satisfied with Sonic, and now she's finally mine. I felt elated when she accepted me. My heart was about to explode as it pounded my ribcage and I felt dizzy from the erupting warmth in my chest, but I felt great nonetheless! So where do I start? The beginning is always good. It started one afternoon when a rainstorm decided to visit the city...

* * * * * * *

It was on a rainy, muggy afternoon that I decided to waste time by wandering aimlessly about, with no destination in particular and no planned route to get there. My head and quills were wet to a point, but the rest of me was dry thanks to the charcoal-grey overcoat I managed to buy the week before. It was double breasted, with a belt which I had tightened to keep snug from the rain. It had large, securely fastened buttons, and a fleece lining that I left back at home, for just the outer coat was plenty warm. It was a good fit for me, as it covered my form to just below my knees, keeping my entire body dry and warm. Getting soaked to the skin in a rain spell was no longer a problem, and I was quite content with the fact.

I lived comfortably in the guest room of a familiar and friendly fox's clubhouse with his parents. They were quite generous to give me a place to stay, and I still am grateful for their kindness. For once, my life was going along smoothly and without much hassle.

Surrounded by medium rise buildings, I was apparently within the residential area of town, rows of apartments all around me. From the distance, I heard two things I don't like to hear together. I heard a girl scream, and with it, the menacing laughter of several men. I shook my head in disapproval as I quickened my pace to solve the problem ahead, about ready to kick some ass and give them something to cry about...

I tuned the corner of a shopping window and saw a shape with a head of pink. There is only one person that came to my mind as pink. Amy Rose. Surrounding her, three idiots watched her as a fourth pushed her back and continued laughing. Two of them were human, one was a wolf, and the unlucky fool pushing the girl was a brown hedgehog. He will be first. With my trademark speed, I rocketed forward and slammed my fist into his stomach before I jumped up and kicked him in the chin, earning a startled yelp as he fell back and the others shouted out in surprise. The next got a swift kick in the groin, rendering him more or less on the cement as he clutched his privates in agony. The wolf got pushed down in my rage, and then I made a quick grab of Amy's arm and pulled her with me away from the buffoons while they still were struggling to find out what was going on.

I picked her shaken body up in my arms and carried her away from the mess, leaving the bastards behind us. Green frightened eyes looked into my own, and they recognized my deep crimson irises. "Shadow!? What are you doing out here?"

"I should be asking you the same, Rose. Did you need a bit of help?" I asked in reply, leaving plenty of distance and rain between her and the fools behind us. I turned a corner to lose the men for good, and walked in one random direction, away from the men that dared to touch this rose. I set the young maiden on the sidewalk as we waited on a shaded city street under a planted sycamore tree, standing beneath its spreading crown of distinctive, large and toothy leaves. The tree was greenish white up in its branches, and its trademark mottled bark covered the trunk in large flakes of brown, tan, and grey.

"I was just walking home when these guys jumped me! Shadow, if you didn't show up, I would've been toast!" Without warning, Amy embraced me and I suddenly, briefly felt a soft pair of lips caress my damp cheek. "Thank you, Shadow," I heard the girl softly sigh.

"You are welcome, Amy," I replied, feeling a wave of heat crawl up the back of my neck, erupting in a rosy blush on my tan cheeks. Amy softly laughed as she saw my burning cheeks. I smiled sheepishly as Amy had her next comment. Okay, it wasn't a comment, it was a reaction. I noticed her start to shiver as she wrapped her arms around her shapely form, inciting me to promptly unbutton my coat while she stared unknowingly at the sidewalk. She wore a sweater, not something that will keep you dry in the soaking rain. By the time my belt was unfastened, I draped the coat over her shoulders, earning a gasp from her softest of lips.

"Oh, Shadow..." It was her turn to blush, and my turn to smile.

"You are cold," I remarked as my body now was exposed to the rain, which wasn't terribly bad under the sheltering tree. I heard the girl emit a soothing, almost musical giggle. Rose stuck her arms through the sleeves as I shyly buttoned the coat's top button, earning another glance of her gorgeous emerald eyes.

"Shadow, you're quite a gentleman," Amy stated as she looked into my eyes, causing me to stare into hers.

"And you're quite beautiful," I replied, earning a second blush from Amy, causing her face to redden more than it had the first time. _Her eyes... So deep... So pretty..._ I drowned in the emerald pools of her eyes as she continued watching mine. And just like that... we kissed. The kiss was shocking. I didn't expect it to happen, but ending it when it started sounded like a terrible idea. My cheeks burned several shades darker than they did originally as I felt soothing heat envelop my body and my heart thump madly in my chest. On impulse I embraced her and pulled her towards me as we held the kiss.

I felt like I would have burst into flames at any moment. Her lips were soft. Fragile. Sweet. Our first kiss was tender, gentle, and precious. _Just like she is. _With bashfulness overwhelming my senses, I slowly pulled back from her and sighed. Amy watched me with her glimmering, emerald green eyes. "Shadow..." She laughed again, her cheeks burned with as much heat as her very pink fur.

"Amy," I softly spoke to her. "Amy Rose, I believe I luh--" Before I could finish, I felt a finger land on my mouth as I was hushed by this lovely girl.

"Shadow..." Amy whispered. "I love you, too." Her response to my confession was followed by a firm and warm hug...

* * * * * * *

Yes, that was a moment I will never, never forget. Our date was the following Friday, and the evening weather was iffy, at best. I don't wear shirts often, since I don't really have any, but I brought my coat in case the weather decided to turn ugly and rain on our parade. Rose and I used to be five years apart in age, but then I was cryogenically frozen twice, putting my life on hold for a year each, which actually is convenient for me. I was frozen first before the Metal Overlord fight and Eggman managed to capture me the second time and put me in his cellar to leave me there for who knows how long, and I was freed thanks to the efforts of my friends.

Now I'm twenty and Rose is seventeen; that beats twenty and fifteen. Even then, we aren't getting "intimate" for a few more years, because I think neither of us is old enough for that. And we just started dating.

Our date was going to be at a decent restaurant. A rather average date, but it was _our_ date. Some date...

I had my coat folded up and tucked beneath my arm, since I needn't wear it until it was raining. My date had her hand in my own, and I felt awkward holding hands with her. She loved to hold my hand, and I liked it also, but it felt just... plain weird. I wasn't wearing anything save my black pants and shoes, my coat in tow.

I know most of the male furries don't wear pants, but they don't think about one little... overlooked detail. If I was to sit in a seat, where many other guys were sitting before _naked_, just imagine the filth of that seat! What if one of them took a trip to the restroom? What if another had gas? Or crabs? It's disgusting! I shuddered at the thought. Obviously none of my buddies think about that, or they'd wear pants too. For furries, sitting on a seat is not too different than sitting on a public restroom toilet seat because of stuff like that. Yuck... So I wore pants. Not every place disinfects their seats after each use, so I take no chances.

The restaurant we dined at, I can't even remember the name of the darn place. I just remember we were seated in a comfortable dark room at a booth for two. The booths were shiny black, and the table was covered in white, one lonely candle next to the wall, with its bright yellow flame silently dancing in reaction to any turbulence nearby. We simply sat there, watching the other.

The order was almost immediate, and that partly explains what I was paying for. I hastily picked my order to get the waiter away from us so we could be alone. There were no loud or annoying people nearby, no one to laugh too loudly or scream, or yak too much. We were in a good spot as far as I was concerned. I turned to Rose and rested my hand palm up on the table. Only a moment passed when our eyes met and hands met simultaneously, as if showing something symbolic in their unity.

She hypnotized me. The way the soft candlelight reflected into the emerald green of her eyes, it reflected back to me in a startling palette of rich shades, vibrant hues, highlights and dancing, flickering green fire. My date and I stared at each other. "Amy," I began, interrupting the silence. "You have such lovely, emerald eyes. They shine with a brilliant fire that is more beautiful than any Chaos Emerald I will ever lay my eyes upon."

"Shadow..." The girl whispered before pausing to release a contented sigh. Her soft hands gently squeezed my own. "Thank you. I don't know what to say..." I gave her a brief smile.

"I love your eyes, Shadow." I got out of my thoughts and returned my attention to the rose before me.

"My eyes are scary, Amy. You don't need to lie like that," I sadly replied as I looked away. How many harsh remarks I have gotten for my eyes... But I also have received many complements. Amy put her free hand on my cheek, turning my sight back to her as a hurt look filled her pupils, her mouth was caught in a frown as her eyes widened in response.

"Shadow... Your eyes are absolutely gorgeous..." I heard the rose whisper softly. Her voice gradually rose in volume, to a more audible level. "I love your eyes. They are such a deep, beautiful red. They have this shining fire that's burning hot, so full of emotion. Your eyes are much more valuable than even the best choice of rubies." Her comment made me smile.

"I love you, Amy," I admitted as I squeezed her hand in my own.

"And I love you, Shadow. You're cute..."

"Uh..." The hot blush on my face was rewarded with a lighthearted laugh from Amy...

* * * * * * *

Now we were back on the sidewalk as we were walking home. Evening was progressing, and the sun was almost finished setting, slowly sinking into the ground as it turned redder and dimmer, finally to be gone, leaving nothing but its fading glow behind. That is, if we could see it. The sky was enshrouded in its dull, boring grey clouds, but that did nothing to our mood, good or bad. "So, Rose, did you like our date?" I asked as we walked hand in hand.

"Shadow... It was fun. I loved it," Amy replied with a dreamy sigh. I grinned as she looked at me and her emerald eyes seemed to shine with pleasure. It was getting dark rather rapidly, so I wanted to get Amy home soon. "Shadow?" I heard the rose female ask me.

"Yes, Amy?" I turned to her. "A waitress told me that you and I look very cute together," Amy gave me a gentle grin.

"She did? When did she say that?" I heard myself ask in response.

"She whispered that to me as we were on our way out the door, when you were opening the door for me," the girl replied with a laugh.

_Oh..._ _Heh, some things I miss. _A faint roll of thunder echoed in the distance, and a gust of wind howled as it went through both of us, thankfully my fur kept me warm. Even then, the wind chilled my face.

"Shadow, that wind was cold," Amy remarked as she crossed her arms, attempting to preserve body heat. "I hope we get back soon, before it starts..." As if the weather read her thoughts, a dozen plops of rain landed on both of us, followed by hundreds of their watery siblings. "...to rain." I unfolded my coat and wrapped it around the rare flower, liberating a surprised gasp from her soft lips. Her surprise freed a warm chuckle from my mouth as she glanced as me before I buttoned the coat on her. That second time, I buttoned the top three of the five buttons, to keep my sweetheart snug in the chilling rain.

"Shadow, you don't have to..." Amy's protest was cut short as we hurried forward. I pulled her with my hand, hastening my steps somewhat.

"No time to chat now, Amy. I need to get you home," I explained as we continued forward...

A few minutes passed as we arrived at a very pale, pastel pink house in a nice looking neighborhood. Before it in its lawn, two trees stood. The first was pyramidal with dark green needles, and it looked remarkably like a Christmas tree. The second was of average size, with a rounded, full crown of rich green leaves. The house itself was a nicely sized two story house, with a covered front porch, and Rose's father stood there, waiting for his princess to come home.

He is a pretty likable guy. One can tell that he strives to be a good father, as he always cares about his daughter, always trying to keep her happy. He is a tan hedgehog of middle age, with eyes of a slightly more yellow tint than Amy's, but still a vibrant, pleasant tone of green. Keeping my date's hand in mine, I led her up the sidewalk to the steps of the porch, finally getting out of the bothersome rain.

"Hey, you two lovebirds, how was the date?" I heard the concerned father ask.

"It was wonderful, Dad. Shadow was quite a gentleman," Amy replied with a hint of pride.

"Was he, now?" Mr. Rose responded.

"Dad, you should have seen him!" Amy grasped my hand in her own, causing me to smile with a tug of my cheeks. "Shadow put his coat one me when it started, raining, and I didn't even ask him to," the pink hedgehog grinned to the man, and he looked back at me with a satisfied smirk. The rose unbuttoned the coat and handed it back to me, as I was on the verge of dripping wet. "Thank you so much for the date, Shadow!"

Amy embraced me with her tender warmth, and I could only hug her back. "You're welcome, Rose. Thank you for letting me date with her, Mr. Rose. She's quite a treasure," I said as I held my hand out to the man, and he shook it with his warm and dry hand, a contrast to my cool and damp one.

"Sure thing, son. I can tell Amy enjoyed spending the evening with you," he commented, a grin tugging his lips.

"Dad, he was very polite to me. He was soo _cute_!" Amy cooed, freeing a blush from my cheeks. I grinned sheepishly as I glanced at her father. He laughed as he saw my reaction to her excited remark.

"Well, then. I see he's a good boy," Mr. Rose chuckled as he gave me a friendly pat on the back.

"I love you, Shadow," I heard my date softly sigh, before hugging my damp body one more time. "Shadow, your chest is still warm," Amy cooed as she nuzzled her face into my chest tuft. "And soft..."

"I know, Amy. My mom called me 'Fuzzy' when I grew my warm chest tuft," I explained, recalling the nostalgic memory from my mind. But my family is gone now. Amy already knows about that, since the incident on the ARK was revealed. As Rose continued to rub her face in my chest, I couldn't help myself from twitching...

Rose looked up at me with surprise in her large eyes, raising her face from the shelter of my chest as both she and her father watched me.

_Now I am in trouble... How did I just let someone find out about this?_ In anxiety, I watched the pink rose before me as her sparkling emerald eyes widened, staring into my own rubies. "Shadow?" I glanced away in embarrassment, aware of her newly implied knowledge. _Now what? What will she think of me now?_ I was caught in a dangerous balancing act above a bottomless pit, and I just fell off the wire... So much for effort. "Shadow? Why didn't you tell me this?" I heard the rose ask.

"Because, Amy. I didn't want you to know," I answered in my rich and smooth voice, a wry smile curving my tan lips. _How can I explain my way out of this mess? I doubt I can do that at all!_ We were on our first date, and it was going wonderfully - until now. "Only my sister used to know about this."

"Shadow? What are you talking about?" Amy asked me in response to my remark.

"Take a good guess, Rose." I replied with a sigh, preparing for whatever reaction I could.

The pink female grinned as she hugged me again, and her dad softly chuckled to himself._ Oh no..._

"Shadow," I heard Amy start, about to ask me the question regarding my deep secret. I knew it was coming, I could see it a mile away. _Please don't find out. Please._ But I knew they did.

Amy softly laughed as she tightened her embrace around my body before finishing. Apparently the revealed secret didn't displease her. I felt somewhat better then. She laughed again before she sighed in delight...

"...Shadow, are you ticklish?"

**The End**


	42. CAHF's Top 5 Best Characters

**A/N: CAHF is the latest member of our fine religion com---errr I mean writing community and, apparently, when it comes to videogames' characters, he has an interesting taste as well.**

* * *

**Child At Heart Forever's Top 5 Best Characters (complete with my over the top, uncalled for commentsXD):**

**5) Hammer Bro. (Mario series)**

Unexpected right? He's diffrent from all the rest of Bowser's idiot minions  
(except Bowser Jr.). He actually has a personality...and how can you turn down  
a koopa in headgear with unlimited hammers? One day, he shall pwn Mario!

**Madhog thy Master 3:16 says: **I can see it right now... "Whack-a-Mario" shall be an olympic sport some day.

**4) Samus Aran (Metroid Series)**

A cannon for an arm? Awesome. blast through practically 5 or more enemies at  
once? Sweet. And even when the Power Suit blows up, you still have a back-up  
Zero Suit you can still kick a** in? Rock on.

**Madhog thy Master 3:16 says: **The more (weapons of mass destruction; annihilating screw attacks; genuine puzzle solvings) the merrier.

**3) Shadow the Hedgehog (Shadow the Hedgehog game Woo!)**

I see myself in Shadow's personality, though everywhere I go people and even  
the Internet say I'm a Sonic (which I can understand). He's got guns, powers,  
speed, awesome spikes...not to mention his sacrifice at the end of SA2!

**Madhog thy Master 3:16 sez... I mean, says: **There's nothing cooler than pwning your enemies with extra large weapons and a fine amount of ruthlessness... but getting emo just for please some puny fangirl, is not good! Just keep killing and everyone's happy... or at least, the cool people that matters. Now you know and knoooooooowiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnnng.... (here it comes).... IS HALF THE BATTLE!!! GIJOE!!!

**2) Ness (Earthbound/Mother 2)**

If he has weapons, super powers, and good pyshical character, then it does it  
for me!

**Madhog thy Master 3:16 says: **It is rather sad the fact that most of the people out there would know about this character just for his presence is SSBB... Just like some unspecified angel winged boy with mythological origins.

**1) Sonic the Hedgehog (Sonic the Hedgehog series)**

I love him for his personality and outlook on life actually. Though running  
faster than sound, destroying robots in one hit, and flying around in a super  
form due to unlimited powered Chaos Emeralds is awesome too.

There we have it (I need to expand my game arsenal)!

**Madhog thy Madhog 3:16 says: **... And that would be the other half... OF THE BATTLE!!!


	43. Another gorgeous bonus story!

**A/N: The following entry is not to be considered a part of the actual collab due to its situation comedy-like style; I just wanted to submit it because I found it extremely good and amusing to read... You already know Androclez for his previous unofficial one-shot "Felidae Giganticus" and, to my personal opinion, this story right here is perhaps one of the best he's ever written... as a matter of fact I'm going to give this sweet little masterpiece my own personal quality boll! **

**This is the Madhog thy Master's Boll of Awesomeness: MtM+. You shall find it on my personal favourite stories from now on. Just remember, this is NOT part of the collab, it is just THAT good.**

* * *

**In The Hoghouse****  
****By Androclez**

**Act One**

_Today we find our hero, __**Sonic The Hedgehog**__, out for a leisurely run across the wide open spaces of the great planet Mobius. His little buddy Tails is trailing closely behind. Suddenly they come upon a troubling sight..._

"Mechanical mischief, dead ahead!" Sonic exclaimed.  
"Time to put on the breaks little buddy. It's hero time," he added, screeching to a halt.

_There were two young women trapped within a tangle of wires up on a cliff._

"Help! Someone please save us!" the two raccoon girls cried.

"We've gotta help those two civilians!" said Tails, charging forward.

"Hold up, bud!" said Sonic, holding his arm in front of Tails.  
"We'd better take a closer look first."

"Good idea Sonic," said Tails.  
"We'd better examine the hidden nuances of this complex trap first, right?"

"No, no. I'm just trynna see if the girls are cute or not!" said Sonic.  
"No use risking our necks for a coupla' hags."

"Sonic!" Tails exclaimed, reproachfully.

_Sonic looked the two young women over from a distance before approaching._

"It's okay Tails. They pass!" said Sonic.  
"Now lets go."

_But that's when Dr. Robotnik stepped from behind a boulder, wearing a sinister grin._

"Eggman!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Welcome Sonic," said Robotnik.  
"I thought I'd make things a little more interesting for you this time. I brought a special present, just for you," he added, gesturing towards a little box shaped object in his hand.

"What are you blathering on about Robuttnik?!" Sonic snapped.

"Careful Sonic, I think it's a time bomb!" Tails gasped.

"Your little freaky flyer is correct," said Robotnik.  
"And this time bomb is wired to our damsels in distress here."

"Nothin' a sonic-spin can't handle," Sonic boasted.  
"Don't worry ladies! Help is on the way!" he bellowed heroically.

"No, you're not understanding," Robotnik said frustratedly.  
"If you cut the wires..."

_But Sonic wasn't listening. He just began to rev up his spin dash._

_**Whir~rrrrrrrrrr**_

"Pay attention you fool!" snapped Robotnik.

"He's right Sonic! That whole trap could detonate if it's not properly diffused!" Tails warned.

_But he could tell Sonic wasn't listening, as he just kept revving up his spin dash in a noisy and showy display. Robotnik noticed too._

"Oh, never mind! I'm getting out of here!" Robotnik huffed, indignantly.

Zzzzzoom!  
_Sonic propelled himself up into the air and began careening towards the jumble of wires tied around the girls._

"Shoot! I've got to _think_ at supersonic speeds, or we could all be killed!" thought Tails.

_Tails flew up to get a better view of the bomb, and hastily picked out a prominent red wire from the bunch. He carefully aimed a small laser pointer at the wire, turned up the concentration of the beam, and burnt through the wire!_

_The very next second, Sonic started tearing through the entire mass of wires like a maniac._

Buzzzzzzzzzz  
Snap!  
Crack!  
Pop!

_The wires snapped apart as he cut through._

"Phew!" Tails heaved a sigh of relief.

_Tails noticed that Robotnik was escaping in his Eggomatic hovercraft. He quickly scooped up the main component of the bomb and hurled it at the villain with all the force of a major league baseball pitcher on performance enhancing drugs!_

_WHOOSH!__  
_**KA-BOOM!!!**

"Ahhhhh!" Robotnik screamed.

_He was blown off into the distant skies and glimmered like a star as he disappeared over the horizon, Team Rocket style.__  
__-_Ping!-

"Oh Sonic, how can we ever thank you!" the raccoon girls squealed.

"Well, we can start with a little smooching over at my place," said Sonic, with a devilish grin.

"Hi, my name is Roxy, and this is my friend, Trixy," said Roxy.

"I didn't ask for no names, just gimme some sugar baby," said Sonic.

"Tee-hee!" the girls giggled.

"Well, uh... let's make it a double date then!" Tails suggested.

"_**Whoa**_ little bro!" Sonic scolded him.  
"Everybody knows the hero always gets the girl. Sonic sez!"

_Sonic slung an arm around each of the girls and started to walk away with them._

"I don't believe this!" Tails grumbled.  
"Sonic! Can I have a word with you?!"

_Sonic heaved an exasperated sigh._

"Hold on girls, I have to confer with my associate right quick," said Sonic.  
"This should just take a sec."

_Sonic headed back to have a word with Tails._

"There's **two** of these bimbos Sonic. Are you really gonna take 'em both?!" asked Tails.

"Tails, Tails, Tails..." Sonic chided.  
"These girls are looking to spend some quality time with a real live hero. It would be unfair to ask either of these lovely ladies to settle for a sidekick!"

"But I saved the day! Shouldn't I at least get one of the girls for a change?" Tails insisted.

"You'll understand more of this when you're older," said Sonic.

"Really?" asked Tails.

"Okay, okay. So maybe I'm just trying to get rid of you!" admitted Sonic.  
"Just get lost and quit cramping my style."

_Sonic pushed his hand in Tails' face and shoved him back._

"Grrr! Arf, arf!" Tails barked, angrily.

"What the heck?! You **barking** at me now???" asked a bewildered Sonic.  
"Don't tell me I'ma' have to have you _fixed_, boy."

Whap!  
_Sonic kicked Tails in the face, sending him crashing into the dirt._

"Ugh!" Tails grunted.

_Sonic and the girls all shared a hearty laugh as they headed for Sonic's place, or rather, a place belonging to one of the homeless hedgehog's friends who was out of town.__  
__Tails was left alone, to lick his wounds._

"This isn't fair!" Tails whined.  
"Why does Sonic always get all the credit?"

_Tails drug himself home and spent the rest of the evening tinkering with some groundbreaking inventions that will one day save the world. He fell asleep at his monitors after performing his last scan for robot activity of the day._

_Sonic stopped by Tails' house the following morning to boast about last night's exploits. And besides, this is the closest thing he has to a regular home._

"Yep, it was quite a party last night," said Sonic.  
"You'll never believe what a wild time we had."

"Let me guess," said Tails.  
"First you showed off some of your supersonic stunts inside the house. Next you had them cook you some chilidogs, then give you a foot massage and a quill sharpening. And finally you made **them** clean up the mess so the homeowner wouldn't know you held a party there, while **you** drank booze and fell asleep in the middle of the floor."

"You know me too well lil' bro," Sonic chuckled.

"Ready to go patrolling today?" asked Tails.

"Sure, let's run a few laps," Sonic agreed.

_And so the duo went cruising throughout the land, looking for Mobians in need.__  
__At length, they came to an isolated island as they were running along the coastal lands._

"Hmm, I don't think this island is on my charts," said Tails.  
"I'd better add it so I can complete my land and sea map of Mobius."

"Help! Help!" came a faint voice off in the distance.

"Did you hear that Sonic? Someone is crying for help! I think it came from that island," said Tails.

_Sonic and Tails peered towards the small island and saw a frightened foxgirl being assailed by a robotic octopus!_

"Eek! Help me!" the girl cried.

"Come on Sonic, let's spring into action!" said Tails.

"Nuh-uh. Count me out of this one," Sonic refused.

"What for? She's a cute girl and everything," said Tails.

"Yeah, she's cute enough. But I ain't going into that water," said Sonic.

"Oh brother, how pathetic!" Tails mumbled under his breath.

"What did you just say?!" demanded Sonic.  
"I heard you talkin' about me. You know I got that supersonic hearing."

"Yeah right," Tails scoffed, as he flew towards the island.

"Oh, please help me!" said the girl.

_The Octobot wrapped its tentacles around the girl, lasciviously._

"Hey! Let her go, you creep!" yelled Tails.

_Tails rammed his fist into the thing at full speed.__  
_BAM!

_Once the Octobot had let go of the girl, Tails was free to plant a few bombs around the creature. Then Tails grabbed the girl and took off! The bombs detonated..._

Boom-BOOM!

_Tails carried the girl to safety and reassured her._

"Don't worry, you're safe now Miss...?"

"My name's Fiona," she replied.  
"And aren't you the famous hero, Miles "Tails" Prower?"

"Aw, shucks. I do try to help out when I can," Tails blushed.

"I'm very grateful for your help," said Fiona.  
"How can I ever thank you?"

"Well, er... your safety is all that matters, so..." Tails stammered.

_Fiona affectionately clasped Tails' hands in hers. They gazed into one another's eyes. And then... their trembling lips met._

smooch

_It was like love at first sight._

"Come on, lets get you back to the mainland," offered Tails.

_But then Tails looked across the sea and spotted Sonic tapping his foot on the other side. He was impatiently waiting at the shore for Tails to bring the girl to him._

"Um, on second thought, this looks like a beautiful island," said Tails.  
"What say we explore it together for a while?"

"That sounds wonderful," said Fiona.

_Tails and Fiona frolicked on the beach, picked fruit from the trees, and watched the sunset together on a hill. They ended up spending the night on the island, each in their own hammock. Sonic had long since lost patience and stormed off in a huff. He went to go throw back a few brewskies with his other buddy, Nack The Weasel._

_It turned out that Fiona had been vacationing in the area and so Tails eventually dropped her off at her hotel the next morning. He returned to his own house in a chipper mood. He was whistling merrily and almost tripped over Sonic on his way in._

"Where the heck have you been?" asked the hungover hedgehog.

"Just taking a brief and much needed vacation," said Tails.

"Do you have any idea what I've been through?" groaned Sonic.  
"I went for some drinks last night and woke up in a ditch with blood all over me. Fortunately I don't think it was mine..."

"See there? Now that's looking on the bright side, Sonic-old-pal," said Tails, with a serene smile.

"What are you so doggone happy for?" asked Sonic.

"Can't a man be happy in his own home?" asked Tails, good-humoredly.

"Hmm..." Sonic eyed him suspiciously.

_Tails fixed Sonic a glass of water, as it is the only true hangover remedy, aside from good sense. Then Tails proceeded to clean and straighten up the entire house. When he got done with those chores, he spent the next several hours outside, putting the finishing touches on a small shed he had been building for a couple of weeks. Seeing how diligently he was working, Sonic came out to harass him..._

"What's with all the housework?" asked Sonic.  
"You expecting company?"

"Maybe I just don't enjoy wallowing in filth, like _some_ people," said Tails.

"I see you're building an extra storage shed too," said Sonic.  
"For your new inventions and stuff?"

"That's what I first started building it for, but now I'm converting it into a second house," said Tails.

"Some house," Sonic scoffed.  
"What is it, a doghouse?"

"No, it's a hoghouse," said Tails.

"Say _**what? **_" Sonic asked in surprise.

"It's for when you come home after you've had too much to drink," Tails explained.  
"From now on, I don't want you coming in the main house unless you're sober."

"You been gettin' kinda uppity lately, half-pint!" Sonic snapped.

"Oh _**please**_," Tails scoffed.  
"I'm always doing maintenance work on this place. Now I'm just making it easier for you to not trash it!"

"Whatever," Sonic mumbled, as he walked off.

_After Tails finished working on the detox shed, he went back inside the house and hopped in the shower. When he was done washing and drying himself off, he put on some deodorant and cologne. He even brushed his fur! His coat was nice and shiny._

"Okay, now you've gone completely metro!" Sonic jeered.

"Don't be ridiculous!" said Tails.

"Have you got a hot date or something?" Sonic chuckled.

"What I do in my personal life is nobody's business," said Tails, slightly blushing.

"Well!" Sonic huffed, pretending to be offended.

"I'm going out for a bit," said Tails.  
"Please don't invite Nack The Weasel in the house while I'm away."

"What's wrong with Nack?" asked Sonic, defensively.

"What's wrong with Nack?!" Tails repeated, in disbelief.  
"He smokes, he tracks mud on the floor, he never uses a coaster... And I don't see why a superhero needs to hang out with a wanted criminal anyway!"

_After that, Tails went outside and picked a few flowers from the garden. Then he flew off with the fresh bouquet in tow._

_Back inside the house, Sonic was pondering what to do next..._

"Hmm, now that he mentioned it, inviting Nack over wouldn't be such a bad idea," thought Sonic.

_Completely ignoring Tails' request, Sonic gave Nack a call and asked him to come over. A few minutes later, he heard a knock on the door._

"That was fast," Sonic said to himself.

_As soon as he turned the knob, the door flew open and someone jumped on top of him!_

"Whoa! Hey, what's going on?!" demanded Sonic, as he was pinned to the floor.

_He looked up and saw Amy rose laying on top of him._

"What's the big idea Amy?!" asked Sonic.

"The big idea?" Amy repeated.  
"How about love, courtship and marriage for starters?"

"Sheesh, will you lay off Amy? I'm expecting someone," said Sonic, as he shoved her aside.

"Who is she?! I'll clobber her!" yelled Amy, pulling her hammer out.

"Relax, it's just a friend," said Sonic.  
"Actually he's not even a real friend. More like a buddy."

"Speaking of real friends, is Tails home?" asked Amy.

"Tails? No, he left just a minute ago," said Sonic, getting a bit jealous in spite of himself.

"Good! Then that means we have the place all to ourselves," she purred.

_Amy grabbed hold of Sonic and started kissing him all over his face. He kept pushing her away, but somehow never actually made her stop._

"Cut it out Amy!" said Sonic, feebly resisting.

_That's when Nack strolled in through the open door._

"Am I interrupting something, or did you invite me over to join in?" asked Nack, with a smirk.

"Uh, Nack!" Sonic exclaimed, finally pushing Amy off himself for real.

"Nack The Weasel! What are you doing here?!" Amy exclaimed.

"Only by special request," said Nack, tipping his hat.

"Sonic! You hang out with badguys now?" asked Amy.

"Oh don't act like you didn't know," said Sonic, rolling his eyes.  
"Anyway, sit down Nack. I got something I wanna run by you. You too Amy, as long as you're here."

"Look, if this is about the heat from last night, I didn't say no-thing to no-body," said Nack.  
"And you'd best do the same, man."

"I ain't talking about that. I don't even remember that stuff," said Sonic.  
"I'm talking about Tails acting all weird lately."

"You think he's on something?" asked Nack.

"I doubt it," said Sonic.

"You think he's in the market to _**get **_on something?" asked Nack.  
"'Cause I got a new shipment of..."

"Just shut up and listen!" said Sonic.  
"It all started when I picked up these two hoochies and took 'em home with me."

_Amy suddenly raised her hand._

"Excuse me, can we stop the story for a sec? I have a question," she requested.

"Yes Amy?" Sonic called on her.

"Are you just _**trying**_ to break my heart now?" she asked.

"Ne'mind about her," said Nack.  
"Go 'head and tell us what you do to 'dem hoochies."

"That's not the point guys," said Sonic.  
"The point is that Tails gets all upset and starts dissing me for taking both the girls. Like he resents me or something. And he starts talking about how he wants recognition and stuff."

"So youngblood is gettin' a little too big for his britches," said Nack.

"Right, so I told him the hero always gets the girl," said Sonic.

"The hero or the no-'count, smoothe talking thug," said Nack.

"Personally I think you should let Tails get the girls," said Amy.

"Well that's why your vote doesn't count," said Sonic.  
"So anyway, the next day we go by this tropical island and see a cute young fox chick getting accosted by a tentacle monster."

"Yeah! Now that's what I'm talkin' about!" Nack cheered.

"Ew! What a sleaze!" said Amy, flushing.  
"But go on Sonic..."

"What I'm trying to tell you two is that Tails rescued the girl by himself and I didn't see him again until the next day," said Sonic.  
"Then he starts sprucing the place up and trying to put me out!"

"Do you realize what this means?" asked Amy.

"Tails is trying to take over as the new hero!" Sonic concluded.

"No! It means Tails is in love," said Amy.  
"Not that you would know anything about _that_..."

"You mean Tails has found himself a girlfriend?" asked Sonic.  
"One girl who he sees over and over again?"

"A novel concept, I'm sure," Amy quipped, sarcastically.  
"I'll bet he's taking her flowers or chocolates right now."

"Come to think of it, he did leave with some flowers earlier," said Sonic.

"So I guess this means that not _everything_ is about **you**," said Amy.

_Sonic gave her a reprimanding look._

"Although it _**should**_ be!" she quickly added.

"Now waitaminute, I'm lost here," said Nack.  
"Are you telling me the tentacle thingy was defeated, before he even got to do anything? What a waste!"

"Man, get outta here with that stuff!" said Sonic, as he threw Nack out.

_Sonic proceeded to grab Nack by the tail and physically hurl him out through the front doorway._

"Ah!" Nack yelped as he hit the ground.

"That old bum was no help at all," said Sonic.

"You should have known to seek a woman's opinion in matters of the heart," said Amy, gesturing to herself.

"I guess I never thought it would be that," said Sonic.

"We're also expert busybodies in other people's business," said Amy.  
"I'll go spread the gossip!"

_Amy gleefully exited Tails' house to go spread his business all through the streets._

Meanwhile, at Fiona's hotel...

"The flowers are lovely Tails. I'll go put them in some water right now," said Fiona.

"It's a beautiful hotel. Have you been enjoying your stay here?" asked Tails.

"Yes, I certainly have," said Fiona.  
"It's been wonderful, especially since I met you."

"Aw shucks," said Tails, as he bashfully shifted around and looked down to his feet.

_Fiona served them both some tea._

"I suppose I ought to enjoy it, especially since my family owns the hotel here," said Fiona.

"What! You're loaded?!" Tails exclaimed, almost spilling his tea.

_He regretted that some of Sonic's coarser manners may have rubbed off on him._

"We do pretty well for ourselves," Fiona chuckled.  
"The hotel is actually a new venture. My father's main business is a technology firm."

"Sounds like my kinda guy," said Tails.

"We're holding a grand opening party here tomorrow evening, in the ballroom," said Fiona.  
"I'd be delighted if you would attend. You may even get to meet my father."

"It would be an honor," said Tails.

"Wonderful!" said Fiona.  
"But, um... you may want to wear some clothes next time. Preferably something dressy."

"Uh, yeah... I guess I am kinda sporting the nekkid style," Tails blushed, just noticing that Fiona always wore clothes.  
"Hero work seems to lend itself to it," he added.

"Then it's a date!" chirped Fiona.  
"Feel free to bring your friends. I'd love to meet them too."

_After finishing his tea and thanking Fiona, Tails exited the hotel wondering where he could scrounge together some civilized friends to invite to the party._

"Hmm, I wonder if Espio is free?" he thought out loud.  
"But can I invite him without getting stuck with the other two?"

_As Tails was stepping outside the double doors at the front of the hotel, someone suddenly jumped him from out of a nearby bush!_

"Ah!" gasped a startled Tails.

"So it's true!" said Sonic, brushing leaves off himself.  
"You've got yourself a little girlfriend stowed away in this fancy hotel joint."

"Sonic! What in the world are you doing here?!" asked Tails.

"I'm scoping out the love nest operation you got going here," said Sonic.  
"Thought you could sneak one by me, did you?"

"Give it up Sonic, you're too late!" said Tails.  
"This girl actually _likes __**me**_, for _who __**I**__ am_. And I like her just the same. You're not gonna just swoop in and take this one away."

"So you think you've graduated to the point where you get to have a girl?" Sonic sneered.

"Face it. You may have gotten Trixy and Roxy, but _I_ got **foxy**," Tails grinned.

"Meh, I don't care. I'll let you have this one," said Sonic.  
"I'm not into those 'relationship' types anyway."

"Good, then it's a truce," said Tails, quickly walking away.

"Hold it right there mister!" said Sonic.  
"Don't think I don't know about the party!"

"Oh shoot! How'd you find out?" asked Tails.

"Call it supersonic hearing," said Sonic.

"Okay, okay, I guess you can come," said Tails.  
"But you have to dress up and act civil!"

"Sonic The Hedgehog _**can**_ wear a suit," Sonic boasted, confidently.

"But can Sonic The Hedgehog act like he has some home-training? That's what I'm worried about," said Tails.

"Chill Tails, you gotta relax and lighten up if you wanna impress this chick," said Sonic.

"I've got to worry about impressing her father too. He's supposed to be there," said Tails.

"Her father?" asked Sonic.

"Yeah, apparently some people have parents," said Tails.  
"You know how Cream has Vanilla? Well some people have a male parent too. Like what those women are always accusing you of being in those lawsuits," he explained.

"Tails, Tails, Tails... you gotta remember that I'm the hero of Mobius! What better guest could you bring to impress these people?" Sonic remarked.

"I appreciate that Sonic, but I want you to exercise a little restraint," said Tails.

"Don't worry Tails, I'll be supersonic polite!" Sonic assured him.  
"I'll hit 'em with my triple-manners maneuver."

"Just this once, can we try to use _regular_ manners and be _normally_ polite?" Tails pleaded.

"I've got everything under control," said Sonic, giving a thumbs-up and a wink.

To Be Continued.

And now, for today's Sonic Sez  
...er, Sonic Says

"Kids, there's nothing cooler than enjoying a nice swim and observing the awesome sea-life. But if one of those underwater critters pokes, rubs, or touches you in any way that makes you uncomfortable, the first thing you do is get outta there! Then, stop by your local sushi bar with an adult you trust... to pick up the bill that is. And be sure to try the octopus. That's showin' those fishy freakers who's the boss on this food chain! _**Sonic Says! **_"

**Act Two**

At The Party...

"I'm glad you could make it tonight," said Fiona.

"I wouldn't miss it for anything," said Tails.

"Anything?" asked Fiona.  
"I'm that important to you, huh?"

"Of course," said Tails, with a big smile.

"That's what I like to hear," said Fiona, returning the smile.

"Is your dad here?" asked Tails.

"He got held up in the office, but he's on his way," said Fiona.  
"He's really looking forward to getting to know you."

"Really? Me?" asked Tails.

"Of course! He's heard all about the boy genius who's brilliant inventions have helped save the world," said Fiona.

"Wow, finally someone noticed me," said Tails.  
"I guess my star is beginning to shine."

"A certain female admirer of yours may have put in a good word for you with him," Fiona hinted.

"Thanks Fiona," Tails smiled.

"You know, my father has his eye on you for a position in the company," said Fiona.  
"If the party goes without a hitch, this could be a big night for us."

"This is huge," said Tails.  
"There's so much to think about. I'm getting kind of nervous."

"Don't worry, I just know he'll be impressed," said Fiona.  
"Is... Sonic The Hedgehog here?"

"Er, yeah. I mean, he should be here any second," said Tails.

"Excellent," Fiona muttered, breathily.

"Um, he's not exactly what you think he is," said Tails.  
"I mean, I love him like a brother, but sometimes he can be a little..."

Voomph!  
_At that moment, the doors swung open and Sonic dashed into the party._

"It's time to get this party started up in he-yah! Yeah-YEAH!" announced Sonic.

_Amy Rose quietly stepped in beside him._

"We were going to leave the ghetto behind tonight, remember Sonic?" she reminded him.

"Oh yeah, almost forgot," said Sonic.

_Sonic zoomed over to Fiona and Tails, the latter of whom was cringing in embarrassment._

"Greetings," said Fiona.  
"You must be the renowned Sonic The Hedgehog."

"Esatto, Signorina! And you must be our most gracious hostess," said Sonic.  
"È un piacere conoscerla," he added, kissing her hand.

"So charming!" exclaimed Fiona.  
"I didn't know you spoke la bella lingua."

"A skillful tongue is but one of my copious endowments," said Sonic, as he continued kissing her hand and working his way up her arm.

"Sonic!" Tails hissed sharply.

"I'm just being friendly," Sonic grinned, widely.  
"So anyway, just point me to the hooch and the hoochies, and I'll be all set!"

"Watch it mister!" warned Amy.

_Tails smacked his own forehead in frustration._

"Keep it together Sonic! There's not even any alcohol at this party," said Tails.

"It ain't a party without alcohol!" Sonic argued.

"Not everyone needs booze just to have a good time," Tails snapped.  
"Some of us rely on good company and intelligent conversation."

"Oh, but we do have a wine cellar downstairs, if it would find favor with Mr. Sonic to sample my assortment?" offered Fiona.

"I'd take a sample of _**your**_ sort anytime," said Sonic.  
"And you can just call me Sonic, babe."

_Sonic zoomed down to the cellar to go get wasted._

"Bring a bottle up for father while you're at it!" Fiona called after him.  
"I think he'll have something to celebrate tonight... I hope."

"I apologize for Sonic's crass behavior," said Tails.

"That's okay. I suppose he is a part of your life," said Fiona, somewhat skeptically.

"Should've taken my chances with the Chaotix," Tails mumbled to himself.

_Meanwhile Sonic was in the wine cellar, downing a bottle of lambrusco. He had loosened his tie and made himself comfortable._

"Ahh... good," he sighed with satisfaction.

_But just as Sonic was slipping into his state of slovenly stupor, he heard a rattling noise come from another section of the cellar._

"Whuh?" he slurred.  
"Who dat?"

_Suddenly the rumbling grew louder and with a loud crash, one of the walls burst open!__  
__A gang of BatBrain badniks flew into the room!_

"Badniks in the belfry!" Sonic remarked, as he assumed a battle stance.

_Sonic rolled into a spin attack, ripping his clothes off in the process. He shot around the cellar at supersonic speeds, knocking off the badniks one-by-one; (and the wine bottles too)._

Whirrr-_**ZOO-OOM**_!  
Ker-rash! Crash!

_Sonic fought hard, but a couple of the BarBrains managed to zap him with a few blasts._

Zzap! Zap!

"Ow! Ah!" Sonic screamed.

Meanwhile, upstairs...

"Did anyone just hear a noise from downstairs?" asked Fiona.

"It's probably Sonic," Tails sighed.  
"I'll go check on him to make sure he's behaving."

_As soon as Tails approached the stairway leading to the cellar, the door swung open and an injured Sonic was crawling his way out._

"Sonic! What's going on?!" asked Tails, in concern.

"Badnik ambush..." Sonic groaned.  
"It's go-time little bro."

"Right!" said Tails, as he quickly discarded his suit and sprung into action.

"Oh dear! What's happening?" asked Fiona, as she observed this spectacle.

_Tails descended into the cellar, but when he arrived there was no sign of badniks anywhere. Just a wrecked cellar with a bunch of broken glass and spilled wine._

"Sonic, I don't understand. Where are the badniks?" asked Tails.

"Must've gotten away," Sonic groaned.  
"Hic!" he hiccuped.

"My goodness! Look what's happened to daddy's wine cellar!" Fiona exclaimed.

"Are you sure it was badniks that you saw?" asked Tails.

"I swear, they were there," Sonic garbled.

"Sonic, you stink of alcohol! How much did you have to drink?" demanded Tails.

"Lemme at 'em," Sonic mumbled, as he began striking into thin air.

_Sonic dizzily stumbled around the ballroom for a bit, and then it happened..._

"Uuuurrrrrrrrgghhhh!"  
_Sonic vomited all over the place!_

"All right, party's over!" someone announced.

"What a disaster!" cried Fiona.

"I guess sonic-spins and alcohol don't mix," Sonic groaned.

"How could you do this to me Sonic, you miserable *ast#rd?!" Tails screamed.

_Sonic just continued to moan and groan until he passed out._

"I'd better call daddy and tell him the party's off," said Fiona.

To Be Concluded.

Sonic Says

"Kids, we've joked about a lot of Sonic's rambunctious ways and habits in this story so far. But one thing that isn't a laughing matter is drinking bottles of good wine just to get drunk. It actually dishonors the wine, not to mention the host. So if you want to get your buzz on, try great tasting, low-end fortified wine. It always gets the job done and never lets you down! _**Sonic Says! **_"

J/K -- Please drink responsibly.

**Act Three**

_After the unfortunate events of the ill-fated party, Sonic and Tails' relationship became somewhat strained. Sonic insisted that he wasn't really all that drunk at the party, and that the reason for his regurgitation was partly due to spinning around while he was fighting badniks. Tails' dismissed the excuses as flimsy, pointing out that it's never okay to get a "little drunk," and that he no longer trusted the word of a substance abuser._

_After apologizing for the way things turned out, Tails stopped seeing Fiona as well. He spent most of his time sulking around the house, occasionally tinkering with an invention. One day, he received an unexpected call._

Brrrrin-ring!

"Hello?" Tails answered.

"Hello Miles it's me, Fiona." Fiona replied.

"Fiona! I didn't expect to hear from you," said Tails.  
"How are you holding up?"

"I'm doing much better now," said Fiona.  
"Things are starting to calm down again."

"How did your dad take it?" asked Tails.

"He wasn't happy about what happened, of course. But I've spoken with him on your behalf since then, and he has reconsidered you for the position," said Fiona.

"He's willing to give me another chance?!" Tails exclaimed.  
"..._**You're**_ willing to give me another chance?" he added, softly.

"Of course!" said Fiona.  
"People make mistakes, but I realize what a good guy you are and how much potential you have. And that's what I explained to daddy."

"Fiona, this is wonderful! But will he really accept me with open arms, just like that?" asked Tails.

"We'll give him a little time," said Fiona.  
"You just need an opportunity to prove yourself. So I've arranged for you to move into a nice place in the city, where you can work on this invention that my father's company has been developing."

"Move to the city? This is all happening so fast," said Tails.

"If you can make a breakthrough on this project, he's sure to accept you!" said Fiona.  
"He'll accept _**us**_."

"I don't know," said Tails.  
"Wouldn't I have to give up crime-fighting and hero work to devote myself to a project like this? Sonic and the gang may need me..."

"Let G.U.N. handle those things," said Fiona.  
"You should be valued for your brilliant mind. You don't belong on the front lines, especially not with the likes of that incorrigible hedgehog!"

"You know, you're right!" Tails agreed.  
"I won't let myself be held back any longer!"

"Good! Then I'll meet you there at your new place," said Fiona.  
"Here's the address..."

_Tails quickly relocated to his new apartment in the city. It was stocked with building supplies for his inventing work. Fiona stopped by to help him get settled in._

"I brought over an entire wardrobe of dress-casual attire for you Miles," said Fiona.

"Miles?" Tails repeated.

"Since you're now going to be living in a booming metropolis, working for a major corporation, and wearing clothes everyday, it's only fitting that you should have a proper name," said Fiona.

"Well I suppose Miles is my real name, but I've kinda grown to like 'Tails' over the years," said Tails.

"I didn't think it was appropriate for you to use that _street name_ anymore," said Fiona.  
"You're moving up in the world Miles. You can leave all those old things behind."

"I guess you're right," said Tails.  
"I can leave all that stuff from my old life behind... except for my scientific skills, of course."

"Speaking of which, here's the plans for the invention," said Fiona, handing him some papers.

"What is this thing supposed to be anyway?" asked Tails.

"It's supposed to disassemble and reassemble molecules, hopefully working as a transporter," explained Fiona.

"Teleportation!" Tails exclaimed.  
"Sounds pretty dang complicated!"

"I'm sure you're up to the challenge," said Fiona.  
"You should be able to accomplish a lot more without the distractions of your old associates."

"Yeah, I guess so," said Tails.

"Well, I'll leave you to your work," said Fiona.

"Wait a minute," said Tails.  
"How about a little housewarming for your favorite fox, hunny?"

_Tails beckoned to Fiona while playfully shaking his hips and puckering his lips. His tails wagged briskly._

"Down boy!" Fiona ordered.  
"I think you need a cooling instead of a warming," she chuckled.

"I just need a little motivation," Tails smirked.

"Several other engineers will be working on this project, so I guess you'll be competing against them," said Fiona.

"That's not exactly the motivation I had in mind, but I guess I'd better get started," said Tails.

_Tails jumped right into his work and continued to work diligently over the next several days. He only heard from Fiona occasionally, when she called to check on his progress or to remind him of the importance of this task._

_One day Tails got another unexpected call._

"Hello, this is Miles," Tails answered.

"Miles? Is that what you go by these days?" asked the person on the other end.

"Espio, is that you?" asked Tails.  
"How did you get this number?"

"We're Chaotix," Espio replied, by way of explanation.

"What can I do for you?" asked Tails.

"I heard you and Sonic had a falling-out, so I'm just calling to see how you're doing," said Espio.

"Sonic really let me down, but I guess I'll get over it in time," said Tails.  
"I'm too focused on my career to waste time holding a grudge."

"Good to hear it. So how is life in the city treating you?" asked Espio.

"I haven't really gotten out on the town much, but everything is pretty fast paced," said Tails.

"Maybe even Sonic would appreciate that," said Espio.

"I think Sonic's body moves a lot faster than his mind," Tails joked.

"Do you think you'll ever come back to him, and be a team again?" asked Espio.

"Did Sonic and the others put you up to this?" Tails asked, suspiciously.

"......Maybe," said Espio, hesitantly.

"Unbelievable!" said Tails.  
"They only appreciate me now that I'm not around to silently slave for them."

"Sonic would never admit it outright, but he could sure use your help," said Espio.  
"Everyone has been wondering where you went, and if you'll ever come back to help them out once in a while. So they asked us to track you down."

"It's not that I wouldn't like to help out, but I'm way too busy with Fiona and my new job," said Tails.  
"She's always pushing me to do my best."

"Sounds like she keeps you hopping," said Espio.

"You don't know the half of it," said Tails.  
"This woman has got me working day and night... from sun up to midnight!"

"You seem to be hard-pressed. Are you sure it's not too much for you?" asked Espio.

"Don't worry, I have a feeling all my hard work will pay off," said Tails.  
"And after all, I can't give up now that I'm this close to fulfilling my dreams."

"Sounds like you've got it figured out, so I'll just..."

_But before Espio could finish his sentence, Tails heard the sounds of a struggle on the other end of the phone line._

"Give me that phone!" said a squeaky but angry female voice in the background.

Clank! Clatter!

"Wh- whoa, hey! Nnngh!" Espio grunted, as he was apparently pushed over.

_The phone was seized._

"Tails! Get your butt**s** back over here and start doing your job!" Amy roared from Espio's phone.

"Amy?! What the heck?!" Tails sputtered.

"It's not fair for you to leave all the work for Sonic to do!" said Amy.  
"Do you know he's been hurt on several recent missions, trying to carry **your** load!"

"Are you saying your 'great' and 'perfect' idol needs help from the lowly and insignificant Tails?" asked Tails.

"Wha-??? Well, I..." Amy stammered.

"Is it that hard for you to say?" asked Tails.

"It's not that Sonic isn't good enough, but it's not right for you to abandon your duties!" said Amy.  
"I demand that you come home and take some responsibility!"

"Responsibility?!" Tails yelled.  
"I ain't nobody's daddy! Y'all can take care of your own messes!"

"Look, Sonic hasn't been the same lately," said Amy, in a meeker tone.  
"He's drinking more and I think he's gotten into some other stuff too. Sonic has become too carefree, and people have been getting hurt. Even Cream was hurt when she wandered off again, and nobody was there to help her. Sonic eventually tried to do something but he...... he was reckless and made some mistakes," she admitted.

"I'm sorry about what you're going through, but I can't put my whole life on hold just to babysit you guys," said Tails.  
"Cream has her own mama, right? Let her look after the girl. Check Sonic into rehab, and if something serious goes down, just call the cops."

"Okay _**I get it**_," Amy bitterly snapped.

"You do?" Tails asked, hopefully.

"Yeah, you're a heartless, conceited jerk! You little two-tailed freak!" Amy shouted.

"The name is Miles!" said Tails.

Click!  
_He ended the call._

_Over the next week or so, Tails worked even harder on his invention. He finally managed to achieve dematerialization, but he struggled a bit longer on trying to focus the effects of the device to a specific object, rather than discombobulating all matter within the machine's path at once. This also made reforming matter exactly to its original shape a challenge. He kept working on it. Then one day he surprised Fiona by asking her out to a fancy restaurant for sushi and steak._

"The food here is great, don't you think?" asked Tails.

"Yes, it's very sweet of you Miles," said Fiona.  
"But what is the special occasion?"

"I might have a little surprise in store for you," said Tails, with a wink.  
"But you've barely touched your food dear... you've got to try some of this."

_Fiona offhandedly plucked up a big mound of wasabi and shoved it in her mouth._

"Yes it's very good," she said, indifferently.

"Wow. Straight wasabi, just like that?" Tails asked, blankly.

_Perhaps she had something else on her mind? But she downed it without even flinching!_

"Oh?" asked Fiona.  
"Ah yes, how silly of me. But how is your progress on the invention?" she asked.

"As a matter of fact, you'll be happy to know I just completed it today!" Tails happily announced.

"Excellent, we must bring it to my father at once," said Fiona.

_She began rising from her seat._

"After we finish eating, right Fiona dear?" asked Tails.

"Yes, of course," said Fiona, settling back into her seat.

_She perfunctorily consumed the rest of her food, and sort of stared at Tails as he finished up._

"You must really be excited about that molecule rearranger," Tails chuckled.

"I'm excited about what it means for us sweetie," said Fiona.  
"Oh, and the food was delicious."

_As soon as Tails was done eating and paying with a generous tip, the two of them collected the device from Tails' place._

"Can it really manipulate molecules?" asked Fiona.

"Yes. In fact, this little gadget can distinguish distinct molecular patterns, and accurately disassemble and reassemble them exactly," said Tails.

"Fantastic! It's just what we need," said Fiona.

"Of course I've only tested it on inanimate objects," said Tails.  
"It could still have adverse effects on living organisms."

"Oh that shouldn't be a problem at all," said Fiona, smiling brightly.

"Really? Are you sure?" asked Tails.

"I mean to say that this is more than adequate for starters," said Fiona.  
"Don't be so critical of yourself Miles. You've done amazing work!"

"Thanks Fiona," said Tails, with a wide smile.

_Fiona led Tails to her father's office at the top of a high-rise building. As they stood outside his door, Tails became a bit nervous. He wondered whether or not he'd truly be accepted as the boyfriend of this rich and powerful man's daughter._

"I'm a little worried Fiona. Do you really think he'll like me?" asked Tails.

"Is the device functional?" asked Fiona, somewhat sternly.

"Well yes, but..." Tails stammered.

"Then that's all that matters," said Fiona, as she pushed the door open and stepped inside her father's office.

_Tails followed her inside, but upon entering the office he was shocked to find Dr. Robotnik waiting for them!_

"Dr. Eggman!" Tails exclaimed.  
"Get back Fiona, I'll handle this!" he said, waving a protective arm in front of her.

"Don't be silly, I knew we'd find him here," said Fiona.

"This is becoming like a second home to me after all," Robotnik chuckled.  
"I've been conducting a lot of business here as of late."

"I don't get it!" said Tails.  
"Your dad is a business partner of Robotnik?!"

"Hmm, my reports had indicated that the foxboy was smarter than this," said Robotnik, scratching his chin thoughtfully.

_Fiona shoved Tails aside and stood beside Dr. Robotnik. She handed Tails' invention to him._

"Dr. Robotnik does not work with my father," said Fiona.  
"He _**is**_ my father!"

_She wrapped an arm around the heavyset mad scientist and leaned against him with filial affection._

"I don't understand! How is this possible?!" demanded Tails.  
"Has he tricked you somehow?!"

_Fiona and Eggman shook their heads at Tails' wishful obtuseness._

"He may be a genius, but he is rather stupid about certain things," Fiona explained to her father.

"Fiona is one of my auto automatons," explained Robotnik.  
"A most advanced model of robot designed to closely mimic the qualities of a real person."

"So... you're a machine!" said Tails.

"See? You're getting it now," said Fiona, mockingly.  
"Maybe you're a smarty after all."

"Oh lord! I almost had Dr. Robotnik for a father-in-law!" Tails groaned.

"You wish!" Fiona scoffed.

"So none of what we had together was real?" asked Tails.

"I didn't even so much as taste a bite of all that expensive food I just ate up," laughed Fiona.  
"And I _**like it**_ like that," she sneered.

"What the...?! **Why you**..." Tails growled.

"I profiled that you would respond to a somewhat... _domineering_ female type, based on your relationship with the hedgehog and the others," said Robotnik.

_Tails just hung his head, seething._

"Well I'll be off to incorporate this little invention of yours as the final component of my Ultimate Annihilator Raygun," Robotnik announced.  
"With this weapon, I can dematerialize all my opposers into nothingness. But for you, I'll leave your darling Fiona to finish you off personally."

_Robotnik practically skipped out of the room as he took off with Tails' invention._

"Come back here!" Tails shouted, as he ran to pursue Robotnik.

_But as we all know, that old eggbelly can really move! Robotnik was surprisingly fast on his feet, and Tails was unable to catch up with him before Fiona pounced on top of the heartbroken foxboy and tackled him to the ground. Tails just lay underneath her, motionless._

"Don't you even fight back?" Fiona taunted him.

"I cannot bear to strike you, my love!" said Tails.

"Oh please, what a loser!" said Fiona.  
"You still feel that way?"

"Actually I was just sort of enjoying the proximity," Tails admitted, wearing a bashfully toothy grin.

"What! You little perv!" Fiona shrieked.

_She started wailing on Tails with a flurry of punches._

Pow!  
Whap!  
Sock!

"Ow! Dang, you hit **hard** girl!" Tails exclaimed, as he rolled away from her.

"There's more where that came from!" Fiona threatened.

"Even if you're a robot, you're an intelligent one, right?" asked Tails.  
"Wasn't there any point when you liked being with me, or when I made you feel special to just be an ordinary girl for a while?"

"Time to die, you little pest!" Fiona yelled, as she lunged at Tails.

"Ah!" Tails screamed, as he cringed back.

_But suddenly a sharp gust of wind swept through the room, and Fiona's head fell clean off her body!_

WHOOSH!  
CLANK!

"I'm saved!" Tail exclaimed.  
"What just happened?!"

"**I** happened!" said a familiar voice.

_Tails looked to the other side of the room to face his rescuer._

"Sonic! You came for me!" said Tails.  
"You saved me from Robotnik's auto automaton!"

"Auto-ma-what now?" asked Sonic.

"You knew Fiona was really one of Robotnik's mechanical minions! ...right?" Tails asked.

"Nah, I just never liked that uppity #itch!" said Sonic.

"You mean you were just gonna kill my girlfriend for no reason?!" Tails gasped.

"No, of course I wouldn't do something like that for no reason," said Sonic.  
"I _just said_ it was because she was stuck up! Didn't I?"

"Sonic!" Tails rebuked him.

"_**And**_ because she was an automotive-whachamacallit," added Sonic, unconvincingly.

"Well whatever the case, I guess you saved me," said Tails.  
"Thanks. But if you didn't come here knowing Robotnik's plan, why did you happen to show up?"

"I came to kick your butt for walking out on me," said Sonic.  
"I asked around and someone said they saw you go into this building."

"You came all this way just to beat me up?" asked Tails.

"And to ask you to come back, little bro," said Sonic.  
"It's not the same without you. I'll even agree to stop getting drunk and stuff. And I'll use the hoghouse when you need your space, if you'll just come back."

"You really missed me that much?" asked Tails.

"Of course! You're my best buddy!" said Sonic.

"Then it's a deal!" Tails agreed.  
"Any chance you'll let me get the girl once in a while?" he asked.

"You're gonna have to fight me on that one!" Sonic laughed.  
"But I will skip over the whole _'beating-you-up'_ thing."

"Oh well. Can't win 'em all," said Tails, with a smile.  
"Speaking of which, I almost forgot about Eggman! He has the Ultimate Annihilator component!"

"Forget Eggman. I put a whoopin' on him on my way in, just for good measure," said Sonic.

"Thank goodness!" Tails sighed with relief.

"His little toy broke before he ran off, but you can still pick up the pieces in the hallway if you want 'em," said Sonic.  
"Now let's go home."

_Tails stripped off his shirt and trousers, leaving them in the office. After collecting the remains of his invention, he and Sonic returned home together._

Later, at Tails' real house in the forest...

_Sonic, Tails, and Amy were all relaxing with some light snacks and a variety of iced teas, all prepared by Tails.__  
__Amy helped a little._

"I'm sorry for the things I said about you before," said Amy.

"And I'm sorry for appearing aloof and indifferent," said Tails.  
"Maybe that's what comes from dating a robot..." he muttered, wistfully.

"I'm also really sorry things didn't work out for you having a girlfriend," said Amy.

"I really should have seen through the trap, but I guess I was blinded by love," said Tails.

"No kidding!" said Sonic.  
"When a beautiful, sophisticated, rich girl goes gaga for a geek like you, I'd say it's time to get suspicious!"

"Thanks a lot Sonic," Tails scoffed sarcastically.

"I guess the lesson here is that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is," said Sonic.  
"So don't try to date out of your league."

"No, the real lesson is that Tails should keep looking for the right girl who will appreciate him for who he is, without making him turn his whole life upside down," said Amy.

"You really think there could be a girl like that for me?" Tails asked, hopefully.

"I don't see why not," said Amy.  
"...but it's **definitely **_**not**_ me!"

"Heck no! Yikes, don't even **go** there!" said Tails.

"Methinks you two doth protest too much," said Sonic, with a goading grin.

"Into the hoghouse Sonic!" Tails ordered.  
"And you Amy, you'd better leave too."

"Humph! Gladly!" said Amy, storming out.

_Tails was sure he heard her mutter something like "two-tailed freak" on her way out. Thus cementing the status-quo of their relationship._

Later that night...

_Tails went for a walk out on his runway, to gaze at the stars._

"I guess I am kind of a hard fit to match up. Maybe there isn't a girl for me in all of Mobius," he sighed.

_He found a comfy spot were he could relax and enjoy the cool night breeze. After taking some time to reflect, Tails decided to throw himself back into his work, to help focus his mind. He eventually retired to his workshop where he began work on a new project. A ship which would later become known as the Blue Typhoon._

The End

Sonic Says...

Thanks for reading!

Androclez  
.net/u/1007625/


	44. Sonic and Amy

**R**

**by**

**Cornwallace**

* * *

"We'll always be together."_  
__"Really?"__  
__"I promise, my love. I'll always keep you safe. I'll watch over you. No matter what."__  
__"I love you."__  
__"I love you, too."_

-

You're crying.  
Please stop...  
You're crying into old photographs.  
Photographs of which I can't see.

I've never seen you like this before....

Your sobbing form draped over a pile of old mementos.  
I wish I could remember.  
Wish I could get through to her...

It will be okay. I promise.

Our house a mess.  
Untended to for god knows how long.  
She liked to keep things tidy. I remember that. I think I was the messy one.

Please stop crying, Amy...

I try to reach out for you, and just phase right through her.

Oh... right...

Feel like crying, but I can't. Tried. No such luck. Can't really feel anything anymore...

Before long, you're asleep.  
Your crumpled form resting where you lay.

If only I could touch you.  
If only I could really be there for you.

But I can't.

If only....

It's like watching old home movies.  
You're there, you're so beautiful.

My everything, animated, standing right in front of me.

But I can't touch you.

I can't feel you.

I can't smell you.

I can't hold you.

It's like you're here, but you're not.

Not really...

-

You're drinking coffee in the kitchen in your fluffy pink robe.  
Used to go on about how comfortable it was.  
Sipping away, stirring your spoon and staring into the half empty mug.  
Bags under your bloodshot eyes.

I worry about you..

Noticed you've been sleeping on the couch lately.  
Why is that?

You don't answer. You never do.

Fingers slowly unzip your purse and fish out a pack of cigarettes. I wish you wouldn't smoke. When did you pick that habit up?  
I can't say I approve.

Where's that smile I miss so much?  
Could you give me just one?  
Please?  
..No?

Vague snippets of memory occasionally tease me.  
Pictures, sounds, emotions.  
The ghosts of our past are haunting me.  
Perhaps you, too.  
Hard to think.

Are you okay?

Am I okay?

You finish your coffee and pile the cup in the sink, on top of the various other unwashed dishes.

I'm sorry, Amy...

-

You're not here.  
Nowhere to be found. You've been gone for quite some time now.

I miss you tremendously.

Wish I could have been stronger for you. Wish I could have been there for you when you needed me most..

Drifting through this empty house like a scared little child lost at the mall.  
My home, and yet, it feels so unfamiliar to me.  
Empty.  
Falling apart. All of us are.

Cold. Always cold.  
It's all I ever feel anymore.

Old photographs hanging on the wall. They feel so familiar, but if only I could place the context in which they had been taken. We look happy. I feel a yearning when I look at them. It almost hurts to do so.

I want to remember.

Do you?

Where are you?

-

The knob on the front door begins to turn, and I'm already there.

You're home.

The door opens. You're wearing all black.  
Strange..  
Behind you is a familiar face. Someone close. For the life of me, I can't remember his name.

A fox. Also wearing black. A suit, tailored for accessibility of an extra tail.

My....

"Remember," he says, "if you need anything, please don't hesitate to call me."

"Thank you, Miles," you say, as you close the door.

Miles, that was it. But didn't we call him something else?

You turn the lock.  
Fix the chain.  
Lose it.  
As you turn, your makeup is already running down your cheeks.  
Teardrops leaving black streaks in a path behind them.  
Your back meets the door, and you slide down to the floor, sobbing loudly.  
Arms wrapped around your knees, you bury your face in between them.  
Muffled crying, each sob like a figurative punch to the gut.

Oh, Amy...

-

You're taking down our pictures...

Why?

Please stop.

I want to remember.

Don't you?

You're taking down all of our pictures, and throwing them into a box.

And you won't stop crying...

Please, Amy, listen.

I need you to be strong for me, okay?

What happened to us?

Please don't forget me...

I could never forget you..

-

Box tucked under your bed.  
Our bed.  
The bed we shared in the room you rarely step foot in anymore.

You close the door behind you, and make your way to the den.

You sit down in your old chair. Try and read for a bit. You can't concentrate.

Fetch an old bottle of wine, and a glass for yourself. Fill it up to the top, and bring the crystal to your lips.  
Set down a glass half empty.

What are you thinking about, my love?

The phone rings. At first you don't respond. After a few moments you look over at the telephone sitting just behind your drink, to your right.

Pick it up.

"Hello? ... Yeah, I.. I'll be okay... No, really, that's unnecessary. Are you sure? I really don't want to put you out. ... Okay, then. I suppose I could use the company."

You hang up the phone, and light up another cigarette.

Finish your glass and pour another.

Before too long, the doorbell rings.

You drain the glass for the second time and get up. Make your way towards the door. Stop by the mirror on your way, to make sure everything looks perfect. You check your makeup, make sure your quills are in order. Straighten your skirt. I've seen you do this a million times, at least. you always wanted to look your best.

The doorbell rings again.

"Coming!" you say loudly, prying yourself from your own reflection.

You open the door.

It's him.

And I still can't remember his name..

He's dressed up nice, as if this was some sort of date. Carrying take-out bags of food. Looks like Italian. Your favorite.

"Hey," he says, scratching his head, looking down at your feet. "You doing okay?"

"I don't know," you say, looking down, as well. "Come on in."

You move to the side, so he can pass on through. Close the door behind him.

He makes his way to the dining room, you following closely behind him. He sets out the food on opposite ends of the table.

"Would you care for a glass of wine?" you ask him, as he throws the bags into the trash.

"Sure," he says. "That would be lovely."

You fetch the crystal wine glasses from the top cupboard, and a bottle of aged fine red wine from the locked case. You had gotten one with a lock, you had said, for when we had kids.

A chance we had but never took.

I'm so stupid..

Maybe things would have turned out differently if I would have just obliged.

You pour his glass first, and yours second. Set the bottle on the table.

In silence, the two of you eat.

-

"He was always looking out for me," you say, on the brink of tears. "I feel so lonely and scared without him, you know?"

He doesn't know what to say. He shifts uncomfortably on the opposite end of the couch and takes a long hit of wine before setting his glass back down on the table next to him, between himself and the lamp.

You scoot closer to him. He doesn't notice.

"It's almost like I can feel him here, sometimes. Like he never left me. Like he never left us. Like he's just stepped out, and at any moment, he'll come back. He can't be dead, he just can't be." Your voice cracking, as the tears start flowing. "He was supposed to be fucking invincible. He was supposed to outlast us all."

"I know what you mean," he says.

You sniffle, wipe your cheeks with your forearm, smearing wet streaks of mascara across your face.

"You do?"

"He was my best friend. My only real friend, really. I always looked up to him. I kinda always thought he would be here. Never once did I even imagine he'd buy it before me. He was my hero. Something I always strived to be."

Your as close as you can get to him now. He's looking down at his hands, clasped tightly in his lap. A moment of silence as you stare at his face, an expression of longing buried deep within yours. He looks up at you, making eye contact. You lean in, eyes closing, and kiss him.

No....

He pulls away, surprised.

A shocked expression on your face. Confused.

"I.. I'm sorry, you're just.. You're Sonic's wife... This is his house.."

You don't say anything. You just bury your face in your hands and start sobbing uncontrollably.

Acting on instinct, thinking quickly, he pulls your hands away and kisses you again. The sobbing dies down, and the kisses get more passionate.

Please, stop this.

I can't watch, but I can't leave.

Please do this somewhere else.

I feel... pain.

You're unbuttoning his shirt. His kisses make a trail from your mouth, across your cheek and down to your neck. Your head turns towards me, eyes closed, moaning.

Your eyes open..

And you're looking right at me...

And you start to scream.

-

"What's wrong?"

"I saw him, I fucking saw him!"

"Who?!"

"Sonic, I saw Sonic!"

Your crying and clinging tightly to him.

Me...?

"Sonic's dead, Amy..."

You bury your face in his chest, muffled sobs escaping the thin space between. He holds you patting you on the back.

Confusion.

Fear.

Sadness..

"It's okay," he says, trying to comfort you.

"No. No, it isn't."

And you're right.

-

He left shortly after.

You asked him to.

Apologizing over and over again.

He says he understands. I'm sure he does.

He was always a nice person. He would have taken care of you. I suppose I could be okay with that, so long as I didn't have to watch.

I feel something familiar...

Guilt.

I wish I could say I'm sorry.

-

You're in our room.

First time you've been in here since burying our memories.

How long has it been?

Days?

Weeks?

Months?

Years?

I can no longer gauge time. It's as if I have no concept of it.

You look different. Like I can't put my finger on it.

Set the bottle of wine in your hand on the nightstand on my side of the bed. Your purse next to it.

Make your way to the end of the bed. Bend down, and drag the box of memories out from underneath. The hammer and nails.

You spend what seems like ages to hang all our old memories on the wall adjacent to the bed. Memories of us laughing. Memories of us smiling.

Genuine smiles.

The pictures of me alone, I always bear a false smile. A mask. Smiling because I have to. But with her, it was different. I was smiling because I was happy.

Always found that interesting.

When you finish , you fetch a pen and a piece of paper from my old desk. Quickly scrawl something, and make your way over to the nightstand. Toss the paper and it floats across, over to your side of the bed. Dig up a bottle of pills.

What are those?

Set it next to the bottle, and pull the cork out.

What are you doing, Amy?

Open the bottle and dump what looks like the whole bottle into your whole hand.

No, Amy, please stop.

Dump the handful into your mouth, and chase it with three or four gulps of red wine.

Please don't do this, Amy.

Call the hospital.

Call Tails..

Call someone, just stop this from happening, please.

You lay down face first, burying your face in my pillow, and inhaling deep. You roll over, face wet with tears. The pillow the same. You lean over and pull the pack of cigarettes out of your purse.

You can stop this, Amy.

Please...

You don't have to do this.

You light a cigarette and smile and close your eyes.

The paper on the bed next to you reads;

_See you soon, my love...._

-

You've stopped moving. The lit cigarette falls from your lips and onto the bed next to you. Burning through the comforter, the silk sheets beneath. Flame crawling from the end of the cigarette and across the bed.

In what seems like a lifetime, ours burns down.

A lifetime of memories.

A lifetime of happiness.

Our lifetime.

It burns down, and it takes you with it.

And I can't do a thing to stop it from happening.

-

You're gone...

So is our home.

Nothing left of either.

The sun rises off in the distance, shedding light on our charred, destroyed remains.

Yet...

I can feel your presence..

And now, just now, the loneliness, the longing, the suffering...

It all melts away.


End file.
